DatabaseAnswers Logo View from Parco Paradiso Hotel showing Snow on the Mountains

Home Ask a Question Careers Contact us Data Models First Timers Search Site Map
Salesforce GAF demo

  My Diary from April 28th. 2007
 
Here's my Diary for 2007 and 2008, and 2009

I am thinking of providing a Salesforce demo, following the table on the left-hand side ...
  • Diary Display with Search ,Diary Display with Search (for Work) ,Diary Data Entry ,and Diary Search.

    This page shows the results of using my following the MyLifeBits Approach to document everything significant in my Daily Life, along with the associated Digital Assets.
    I used my cell/mobile phone, which is a standard off-the-shelf Internet-enabled Nokia, with Camera and Video.
    We used the camera to photo documents instead of using a scanner.
    The words in bold could be used to tag each Activity for search purposes or to build a dynamic Topic classification.

    Here's an example of Searching my Collection of Digital Assets stored in the Database.
    This page has evolved into a combination Blog, Contacts list, Diary, '2 Do List' Reminder and Work In Progress.
    Here's a diagram of the Database for the My Life Development Project.
  •   I began this Diary after a Trip with my wife to Lake Lugarno,Switzerland.
     

     Activities and supporting Digital Assets ('Bits')
     
    DATE OF ENTRY TOPIC TAG ACTIVITY LINKS
    17th. Jan 8.00 am e-Learning I went to the e-Learning Exhibition yesterday and was amazed how crowded it was.
    Very worthwhile though, with interesting suppliers ranging from an expensive Microsoft product called Sharepoint to Moodle, a free Open Source Learning Management System, that the UK's Open University has funded to the extent of £3 nillion.
    BETT
    Elicitus Authoring Tool
    Moodle Authoring Tool
    Open University
    14th. Jan 9.00 pm Web 2.0 Today's Guardian mentions an entertaining YouTube video on iPhones based on 'These Bones, These Bones' which says 'this is connected to that and that is connected to the other [and so on]' Tour of Web 2.0
    14th. Jan 9.00 pm Salesforce, eLance I posted my Online Diary Project on eLance with login Barry/m333 and email dba gm/m333 (or m3), with budget of $500 - $1,000.
    One of the Salesforce experts I found was Chad Collins who has an interesting Web Site.
    Chad Collins
    eLance
    eLance - My Project
    14th. Jan 9.00 am Salesforce Googling for "Salesforce freelance expertise" I found a good-looking Web Site called oDesk which makes it very easy to find and work with Freelance Contractors.
    Weight Wednesday 96.4 Kg
    oDesk
    Salesforce - Alok Verma
    14th. Jan 8.30 am Selling Here's a great slogan "Selling is Just a Conversation". SIJAC
    14th. Jan 7.00 am Work Think about Interim IT Management.
    In the meantime, Google for "Interim Management".
    BIE Interim Mgt
    Executives Online
    14th. Jan 6.30 am Global Consulting BT provides Global Services which genuinely have a presence in almost every country around the world, including Malaysia. BT Global Services
    Mobile Services
    11th. Jan 9.30 am SQL Server I joined PASS - the Professional Association for SQL Server as dba gmail / m333 PASS
    11th. Jan 9.30 am Wales Castles and Historic Railways are an important part of the tourist attractions of Wales.
    You can take a train to the top of Snowdon,Festiniog has its own railway and a new 40-mile line is being built from Caernarfon across the mountains to Porthmadog.
    Castles of Wales
    Great Little Trains of Wales
    Wales in Syle
    Wales in Style (Castles)
    10th. Jan 11.00 pm e-Learning Here's a great Organisation called the Open University of Cataluna in Spain looking at how to use Web 2.0 and Mobile Applications for Education at the University level. Internet Project
    UOC (English)
    UOC (Spanish)
    10th. Jan 5.00 pm 2DoList Talk to these people, including Larry Hunter at Spargo (Mobile 07774-646973) and (maybe) consider partnering with them. Conchango (Egham)
    Spargo (Egham)
    Spargo (Larry Hunter's Email)
    10th. Jan 4.30 pm Restaurants Had a great light lunch at Momo's in Staines (Malaysian-owned), with Miso Soup and Sushi Momo's (London)
    Momo's (Staines)
    10th. Jan 4.00 pm NHS Glucose Tolerance Test rescheduled to 9.15 am, Monday, January 12th. 2009, ask for Ludy or Nahid
    Weight Saturday 96.8 Kg
     
    8th. Jan 4.00 pm NHS Contacts :-
    Dr. Catherine Lunken at Hotmail.com
    Prof. Bettridge Secretary - 0207-380-9336
    Glucose Tolerance Test any time, Friday, January 9th. 2009, ask for Ludy.
    I was turned away because I fasted for over 14 hours.
    Hospital # 93024145
    Clinic J Reception 0845-155-000, Ext. 73147 - Ann Groom.
    Weight Friday 97.4 Kg
     
    7th. Jan 9.30 pm Microsoft Microsoft has created a new Web Site for IT Architects in the UK. IT Architects (UK)
    6th. Jan 2.00 pm Salesforce I added Salesforce to the MDM Layer Implementation in the Tutorial for Integrated Performance Reporting.
    Weight Tuesday 98.0 Kg
    Search for: A Model-Driven Approach to Data Quality For Global Accountability.
    3rd. Jan 8.00 am Web 2.0 I found this definition by Komodo in Australai :-
    Globally, information and communication technology (ICT) is moving into a new networked era. It is characterised by the widespread uptake of high capacity broadband, many millions of users and powerful digital devices becoming connected around the globe, and the evolution of the internet as the key platform for communication and collaboration.
    This new era is often referred to as Web 2.0.
    It involves the advent of a range of new internet-based tools, such as wikis, blogs, social networking sites, image-based interfaces, video sharing sites, information mash-ups and virtual worlds. Web 2.0 also involves a range of new capabilities, such as user-generated content, collective intelligence, reusable and remixable data, and open access sharing and collaboration. Consistent with the impact of ICT over the past 20 years, effective use of this next generation of ICT has the potential to drive continued productivity and growth in a wide range of information intensive sectors of the Victorian economy.
    Wikipedia on Web 2.0 url
    3rd. Jan 5.30 pm eLearning Here are some useful Links :-
    Web CT is in use at the University of Alberta, Canada.
    Blackboard
    eLearning of Australia
    Web CT
    University of Alberta, Canada.
    url
    url
    url
    3rd. Jan 7.30 am eLearning I will look into building 3-D Tutorials for Data Mdelling and my other Tutorials. I can find plenty of Developers to help me, such as FinPA in Australia, who specialise in eLearning and use VastPark.
    ZenworkZ is an Australian company specialising in "enhancing the performance of individuals, teams, executives and communities".
    Fund for Innovation
    Fund Article
    eLearning of Australia
    FinPA
    My Microsoft Page
    Tutorial on Data Modelling
    Tutorial (Video - 26Mb)
    ZenworkZ (Aus)
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    wmv
    url
    18th. Dec 9.00 am eLearning I registered for the Annual eLearning Exhibition in Olympia (badge WR18546) on January 14th-17th.. BETT at Olympia url
    18th. Dec 8.30 am Malaysia I was contacted by Dr.Dickson Lukose of DL Informatique in Selangor asking for a Data Model for Basel-II in October 2006. DL Informatique url
    16th. Nov 10.30 am eLearning The UK Government has launched a new e-Leaning initiative for the 'Next Generation'. Next Generation Learning url
    url
    21st. Sept 8.30 am eLearning I just bought an excellent book called Wikinomics by Tapscott and Williams.
    It covers a wide range of interesting topics related to Web 2.0, innovation and social impact, including eLearning in the form of the California Open Source Textbook Project, which is designed to reduce the cost of providing K-12 textbooks in the Californai School System.
    Open Source Project url
    15th. Sept 8.00 pm eLearning Telford and Wrekin College eLearning
    Interactive Teaching Program
    T and W Learning Platform
    url
    url
    url
    22nd. Aug 7.00 am eLearning Here's a new Web Site that provides online tuition in how to use Government and Local Authority Web Sites MyGuide url
    url
    31st May 11.00 pm eLearning I should look into eLearning and Learning Management Systems (LMS) for Native People, and especially see if there is any common ground with Web 2.0 for Indigenous People. LMS at Kingston U
    LMS at University of Melbourne
    url
    url
      The Future The Telegraph on January 1st. 2009 states "What Users will be hoping for [in 2009] is great inter-operability between Social Networking Platforms, [like] Facebook, MySpace and Twitter", which will extend the facilities offered by FriendFeed and Facebook Connect and OpenSocial.
    People don't want to rebuild their Social Networks on every new Ste they join. They want their profile data to be portable and work on any system. OpenSocial redirected me to an interesting Web Site called VastPark, which is "a highly interactive platform that is geared towards the easy creation of games and virtual worlds".
    I could use it to build 3-D worlds of Database, or Tutorials. I can find plenty of Developers to help me, such as FinPA in Australia, who specialise in eLearning.
    Facebook Connect
    Facebook Platform
    FriendFeed
    OpenSocial
    VastPark
    VastPark FinPA
    eLearning of Australia
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    2nd. Jan 2009 7.30 pm Data Modelling Steve Hoberman has some useful Links on his Web Site. Steve's Links Page url
    1st. Jan 2009 9.30 am Salesforce MyLife ACTIONS
    1. Find out how to run SOQL and syntax for Search.
    2. Create Tables for some of my Data Models.
    3. Produce documentation and Screenshots to discuss with Salesforce in Staines.
    4. Document problems and Step-by-Step as an example of how it works in practice.
    5. Login as bw333/WPNeFZ2PH and create 3 Tabs for Diego - Display Diary, Make new Entries and Search.
    Login
     
     
     
     
    url
    url
    url
    url
    30th. Dec 11.55 pm Salesforce MyLife 1. 30-Day Trial has weekly emails and useful Links.
    2. Login to Salesforce.com,(dba/m3 or bw333/m333).
    3. Check out "Run Your Sites in Our Cloud"
    4. Watch 45 minute Video on "Look, Ma! No Code", and summarise - Create Objects, Buttons, Apps.
    99. Login to Sites Developer Preview - THIS DOESN'T WORK !!!

    DRAFT Architecture of a Salesforce.com Application :-
    (should be based on MVC)
  • Data Model
  • User Interface
  • Application - Buttons, etc..
  • 30-Day Trial
    Login
    Run Your Sites
    Dev Sites Preview
    Look Ma! No Code
    Salesforce for Google App Engine (Python !!!)
    url
    url
    url
    url
    30th. Dec 11.45 pm Google Translation Google Translate is great - I have used it to translate my Data Models page into 6 different languages and I will be using it to exchange emails with Diego in Brazil, who speaks Portugese. Google Translate url
    30th. Dec 11.30 pm Entrepreneur An article in the current American Entrepreneur Magazine mentions a company called Wi5 Connect which has a great future in Enterprise Social Learning Platforms'.
    The Magazine also offers a Network for Entrepreneurs which I will join.
    Entrepreneur Magazine
    Wi5 Connect
    url
    29th. Dec 12.30 pm Local Gov't An article in yesterday's Sunday Times talks about Web Sites to help in competing for Government Contract. Compete For
    Gov Procurement
    Pygmalion
    Supply 2 Gov.UK
    url
    url
    url
    url
    29th. Dec 8.00 am My DBA Community 1) Cody Harper from Arizona is Member #1,111
    2) I can find Student Members by searching for 'student'.
    3) Find out how to send std msg to 284 Students about my Tutorials, asking for comments.
    Cody Harper's Page
    284 Students
    url
    url
    28th. Dec 11.00 pm Internet Pioneers In 1945, Dr. Vannevar Bush conceived the idea of Hypertext in his seminal Paper entitled "As We My Think".
    I have explored this concept in the Diary of MyLife.
    Bush
    Engelbart
    "As We May Think"
    Diary of MyLife
    url
    url
    url
    url
      2DoList- Today 0) Bearcat - D & B and/or Myer Vandenburg ($1,200 AUD)
    1) Register as dba_demo/m333 with Developers Account with Sforce.com
    2) Contact Gov 3 to enquire about Associate Consultant possibilities.
    3) Think about Fast Company article about Airline Planning Routes World Development Forum - Emailed Link to Anne.
    4) Plan Presentations to Middle-Eastern Airlines about IPR.
    5) Add Ref Data, especially for Airlines, and compile list of Sources, eg SIC.
    6) Check GRI for Airlines.
    7) Questions for Salesforce - why not in Middle-East,
    8) Post Geoff Duniam's BP on Community.
    9) Read new SQL Svr Book - post feature summary on Community
    10) Draft SQL Svr Architecture, and check with Spargo.
    11) Telegraph on January 1st., 2009 states "What Users will be hoping for [in 2009] is great inter-operability between Social Networking Platforms, [like] Facebook, MySpace and Twitter".
    80) DONE - Emailed Craig Sumner at the TheFlightRegister
    81) DONE - Told Grace about Access DBForums for Excel and Access.
    82) DONE - N made booking for David Gest's Soul Classic at O2 Indigo on January 12th..
    Airline Forum
    Gov 3 Consultants
    SpargoNet
    url
    url
    url
      2DoList Long Term 1) Chase up Bearcat with Dunn and Bradstreet.
    2) Complete Presentation for Anne Parker in Brunei.
    4) Letters from Ealing.
    5) Convert Australian Video to DVD.
    6) Sign up with School of Everthing.
    David Gest

    School of Everything
    Video Conversion - 1
    Video Conversion - 2
    Video Conversion - 3
    url

    url
    url
    url
    url
    24th. Dec 8.00 am MyLife Community 1) Cody Harper, Member #1,111 2) Find Student Members by searching for 'student'. 3) Send std msg to 284 Students about my Tutorials, asking for comments. Cody Harper's Page
    284 Students
    url
    url
    23rd. Dec 11.00 pm Internet Pioneers In 1945, Dr. Vannevar Bush conceived the idea of Hypertext in his seminal Paper entitled "As We My Think".
    I have explored this concept in the Diary of MyLife.
    Bush
    Engelbart
    "As We May Think"
    Diary of MyLife
    url
    url
    url
    url
    22nd. Dec 9.30 am Pets and the BBC 1) BBC Click program - worth a look.
    2) Funny Pets Web Site - Petzume.com.
    BBC Click Program
    PetZume.com
    url
    url
    21st. Dec 10.00 am Contacts Started tidying up my Papers and straight away had a bonus when I found Brian's Mobile number 07930-234-094.    
    21st. Dec 8.30 am Music I found an interesting Black Music Web Site called Soul Exress.
    I also discovered YouTube has Videos for Latimore ("My Give a Damn just Gave Out", Tyrone Davis, Sly and the Family Stone,("It's a Family Affair"), and so on.
    Soul Express url
    20th. Dec 11.00 pm Coutts Decide on a plan of action against Coutts Coutts Action Group
    Coutts Sucks
    url
    url
    20th. Dec Nov 9.30 am Salesforce MyLife 1. Login to Salesforce.com,(dba/m3).
    2. Check out "Run Your Sites in Our Cloud"
    99. Login to Sites Developer Preview - THIS DOESN'T WORK !!!
    1. Login
    2. Run Your Sites
    Sites Preview
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    18th. Dec 10.00 am The Future Here are three Web Links I sent to Mark Jewett on Dec 18th. 2008. with news of my forthcoming World Tour. Future of Databases
    Planning the Future
    MDM-as-a-Service
    url
    url
    url
    13th. Dec 11.00 am African Airways Just for interest. African Airways url
    11th. Dec Nov 11.00 pm Salesforce I registered for the Salesforce Developer as databaseanswers - gm/m3 Challenge for BMEWS and MyLife to complete by January 30th. 2009. DeveloperChallenge
    Forcedotcom workbook
    Download workbook (pdf)
    Download workbook (zip)
    MetaData Developers API
    Salesforce Mobile Platform
    Salesforce Mobile To Go
    url
    url
    pdf
    zip
    url
    url
    url
    7th. Dec Nov 11.30 pm Norlia My wife loves the Cat Calendar from Workman Publishing in New York.
    I must buy the 2009 Edition for her from Amazon.
    Amazon (UK)
    Workman Publishing
    url
    url
    7th. Dec Nov 11.00 pm Presentations Material from Ealing is in the Ealing/Presentation_Materials/Directory.    
    7th. Dec Nov 10.30 pm Travel (UK) Yesterday's Telegraph has an article on England's highest waterfalls - Canonteign Falls in Devon. Canonteign Falls url
    5th. Dec Nov 6.30 am CRM for Airlines WOW - Data Quality and Passenger CRM for Airlines - useful for Anne.
    Link to Salesforce.com. "The Flight Register specialises in designing, building, and hosting airline databases."
    The Flight Register url
    5th. Dec Nov 6.00 am Gov3 Consultants I will complete the Application Form for Gov3 which is in /CVs/Gov3/. Gov3
    Digital Inclusion Toolkit
    url
    url
    1st. Dec Nov 11.00 pm My Son My son is completing a Master's Degree at the University of Lincoln in the
    Restoration of Historic Objects.
    MA at Lincoln url
    1st. Dec Nov 10.30 pm Future A great vision of the Future of Databases has been produced by Lautaro in Ecuador, which complements my Universal Information Architecture. Future of Databases
    Information Architecture
    url
    url
    29th. Nov 9.30 am Android Some interesting Blogs about practical hands-on experience from the first generation of Developers who produced applications for Google's Android. Music-related Aplications
    Stories behind the Appss
    Using SQLite Databases
    url
    url
    url
    29th. Nov 9.00 am CRM CNet reports on Microsoft's plans for CRM. They are spending $1 billion annually to provide on providing Software-as-a-Service, including CRM, which they also offer as on-premise option CNet on CRM
    CNet on SalesForce
    MIcrosoft's Cloud Vision
    url
    url
    url
    22nd. Nov 6.00 pm The Future I have produced a draft one-page summary of my Universal Information Architecture. My draft Paper for the World Tour is C:/World_Tour/World_Tour_with_diagram.doc. Four of the important images are in 4_images.doc. Another image is Info_in_the_Future.jpg. Two very useful images of small people are little_people.gif and small_people.gif. Databases Everywhere
    Universal Info Architecture
    url
    url
    16th. Nov 11.30 am Obama The press reports that Obama made extensive use of the Internet in mounting his successful bid to become the next President of the United States. Fresh Marketing reports that on Facebook Obama had 2.43 million fans ands McCain had 620,000.
    On MySpace, he had 665,000 more 'friends' than McCain. On YouTube he posted 1,800 Videos which were watched more than 18 million times. McCain posted 329 Videos, watched by 2 million viwers. On Twitter his messages attracted more than 112,000 messages.
    BarakObama
    Facebook
    FlickR
    MySpace
    YouTube
    Twitter

    Fresh Marketing
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url

    url
    16th. Nov 11.00 am Music Jools Holland had a great 'blue-eyed soul singer' on his TV Show on Friday, called Eli 'Paperboy' Reed. Eli on MySpace
    Eli on Rolling Stone Blog.
    Eli on You Tube
    url
    url
    url
    9th. Nov 4.30 pm Tourism An article in the Sunday Times makes me think that Eton College would be worth a visit. Contact the Visits Manager on 01753-67177 or go to the Web Site. Eton College
    An Eton Tour
    url
    url
    9th. Nov 4.00 pm MyLife The Sunday Times reports a great new facility for Mobile Phones called Wikitude.
    This allows you to point your Mobile at something nearby, then the application of GPS will identify notable landmarks and will display information from Wikipedia.
    Unfortunately, I got very disappointing results because it didn't recognise Windsor Castle, which returned 10 Results, including Windsor Railway Station, Windsor Bridge, even after I specified Windsor Berkshire, England.
    Wikitude url
    9th. Nov 11.00 am MyLife Yesterday my wife bought a Sony-Ericsson Xperia X-1 which runs Windows Mobile so I can begin development for MyLife. Announcement of SDK
    Download SDK Beta
    Press Release for Xperia
    url
    url
    url
    url
    9th. Nov 9.30 am Switzerland An article in yesterday's Telegraph had an article on 'Switzerland's Secret Ski Scene' mentioning places I had never heard of, but did not mention Villars, which is my favourite Secret Ski Place. Telegraph article
    Villars
    url
    url
    url
    9th. Nov 9.00 am Cloud Computing A number of companies have sprung up offering Collaborative Solutions applying Social Networking principles to Project Management, Intranets and related Activities. Airset calls itself a Web Computer, BaseCamp says it has 1,000,000 Users signed up worldwide and Huddle offers links to LinkedIn Airset
    Basecamp
    Huddle
    url
    url
    url
    9th. Nov 8.45 am My Life The Financial Times has an interesting Page on the "Future of Work", including Cloud Computing. Cloud Computing
    FT Network
    url
    url
    9th. Nov 8.30 am My Life (in the Future) A UK Government Think-Tank called Foresight has published a Report recommending five simple things to do every day to improve the quality of life and mental health :-
    1) Be Active - take up hobbies, sports or just a daily stroll
    2) Be Curious - reflect on the beauty of everyday things
    3) Connect with people
    4) Give help to friends and strangers
    5) Learn - cooking, learn an instrument
    Foresight
    Foresight 5-a-Day Project
    Foresight in the Guardian
    A Look at the Future (pdf)
    User Scenarios (pdf)
    url
    url
    url
    pdf
    pdf
    9th. Nov 8.15 am Norlia My wife (Norlia) decided she would like an up-market Bath Oil called Miele di Neroti from Ortigia in Sicily, which has just opened shop in Marylebone High Street !!! Ortigia
    Ortigia Shops
    url
    url
    15th. Sept 8.30 pm MyLife Project A major step forward with an online Diary as part of the MyLife Project. MyLife Online url
    13th. Sept 4.00 pm Wales I must clarify my plans for Web 2.0 and Enterprise Data Mashups by thinking about Wales and Indigenous People Civic Trust Wales url
    7th. Sept 8.00 pm Crystal Reports I must download Crystal Reports to design the Interface to a Data Mart. Crystal Reports url
    7th. Sept 8.00 am Web Sites I like I like Web Sites that are good to look at and easy to navigate.
    Here are some current examples :-
  • The BBC web site allows you to customise your own Home Page.
  • The local free Guardian paper has a Portal-style Web Site.
  • Imaginet
  • Peter Imes may not be in business any more.
  • Reeds School, Cobham, Surrey.
  • Simplicity is are promising Web Developers, also with a Portal Web Site.
  • Spargo are consultants, specialising in Microsoft Architecture Projects.
  • BBC
    Imaginet
    Guardian
    Peter Imes
    Reed's School
    Simplicity
    Spargo (Egham)
    Webula
    Webby Awards
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    7th. Sept 7.30 am 2DoList GDE Web Site and State-of-the-Art demo for DBA.org to feature :-
  • Community and Social Networks
  • Enterprise Data Mashups
    • integrated Front-End for variety of Data Sources, including Spreadsheets, local Databases, Corporate Data and DBs in the Clouds.
  • Personalised Portals
  • WebWare
    I should get a Salesforce.com front-end done as a demo of State-of-the-Art.
  • Salesforce
    Simplicty
    url
    url
    5th. Sept 11.00 am 2DoList Business Accounts at the NatWest Bank. NatWest 4 Business url
    5th. Sept 10.30 am Web Development I came across some promising Web Developers called Simplicity. About WebWare
    CNET on WebWare
    Webware Database
    WebWare in Action
    url
    url
    url
    url
    5th. Sept 10.00 am WebWare I just came across a definition on the CNET Site of the great new concept of WebWare
    You have to beware that WebWare is a term also used for a Python-based O-O Web Application Framework.
    It uses well known Design Patterns and incoudes Object-Relational Mapping.
    CNET
    WebWare on CNET
    WebWare on Wikipedia
    url
    url
    url
    3rd. Sept 6.30 am Wine The Telegraph has an article saying that you can get good value, and very drinkable wine, for about £9.99 (about $15).
    For Whites, it recommend two from Australia - a Semillion from McGuigan and a Nottage Hill Riesling from Hardys.
    For Red, one from Argentina and one from Australia, and for Roses, one from Chile and one from Spain. Right now, I am only interested in Whites.
    Good wine at £6.99 url
    1st. Sept 11.30 pm MDM Keep up with MDM at this New York Summit on Oct 19-21.
    I must draft my next Presentation which will provide a review of one-year on progress and how well my Vision is being implemented by Vendor's Product enhancements over the past year.
    MDM Summit, New York, url
    1st. Sept 10.00 am DQ Validation Rules Here's an interesting Rules Engine product from Acuate Rules Engine url
    29th. Aug 10.30 pm Norway There's an article in today's Standard Magazine with photos of a beautful location in Norway Storfjord Hotel url
    27th. Aug 10.30 pm Informatica Here's a couple of interesting Web Sites. Learn BI
    Learn Informatica
    url
    url
    27th. Aug 8.30 pm Brainstorming Tutorials + Templates + Tools - Tutorials free, Templates cheap and Tools expensive.
    Guidelines - under MS radar and price - time to develop is 1 week.
     
    27th. Aug 8.30 am GDE Clients 1. Christie + Co (Business Intelligence) - offers specialist businesses for sale.
    2. Royal Brunei Airlines
    Christie+Co
    Royal Brunei Airlines
    url
    url
    26th. Aug 11.00 pm SQL Tools Looks interesting - Razor SQL Razor SQL url
    26th. Aug 6.00 pm LSC Framework for Excellence Looks interesting - LSC Framework for Excellence Framework for Excellence url
    25th. Aug 5.00 pm Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan goes to Laurel Canyon Park to help people with problem dogs Laurel Canyon Park
    Laurel Canyon Reservoir Pond
    url
    22nd. Aug 8.30 pm IT Governance in Public Sector An interesting article in IT Business Edge about IT Governance in New York State.
    The key message is that concensus is important the Public Sector.
    IT Governance url
    url
    22nd. Aug 8.30 am WOA and SOA Here's an article in IT Business Edge that's worth reading about 'The Pros and Cons of Web-Oriented Architecture' (WOA), and one in Information Week entitled "Taking a simpler [WOA] approach to SOA". Simpler Approach to SOA
    WOA versus SOA
    url
    url
    22nd. Aug 7.30 am Google Phone The HTC Dream has just been announced as the first GooglePhone to hit the market and is due (maybe) on October 13th, for $199 in the US.
    HTC is facing stiff competition from Samsung who are apparently working very hard to beat HTC to the market.
    Android Forum
    HTC Dream
    HTC Dream Forum
    HTC Dream Pictures
    HTC Dream Reviews
    HTC Dream ZDNet Review
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    22nd. Aug 7.15 am Mini-Laptops Gizmodo leaks a story that Dell is producing a mini-laptop which should be available on August 22nd. (tomorrow !!!) for (maybe) $299. Gizmodo
    Gizmodo Leak
    url
    url
    15th. Aug 11.55 pm The Future Here's a great plan - I should build free giveaway Components for the BMEWS Architecture Framework, incorporating Global Accounatbility,SMPL KPIs, Enterprise Data Quality and integrating Informatica,Microsoft and Salesforce.
    Check out Konesans Products, especially Data Generator and File Watcher.
    Start with BMEWS Ad-Hoc Report (Data Mart and Master/Transaction)
    Informatica SOA
    Konesans Products
    MS Integration Services
    url
    url
    url
    15th. Aug 10.00 pm Courses and Training How to design high-performance Databases, offered by SQL Knowhow Ltd., Harpenden, UK, Database Design
    Integration Services
    url
    url
    15th. Aug 10.00 pm Microsoft Certification From time-to-time, I think about Reference Data, and whether to use just one table or have lots of hard-coded tables.I like the idea of just one table, because 1) Users can extend the table to include more types of Reference data without any programming, and it lends itself easily to drop-down tables in an application.
    I came across some thoughts on Common Lookup Tables on a Web Site called Data Management Exchange (DMX) that's worth a look.
    Common Lookup Tables url
    15th. Aug 10.00 pm Microsoft Certification With my page on the Microsoft Web Site, it makes sense for me to consider going for 2008 Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA).
    I will draft my CV, focussing on what I have done, not job titles.
    I should have at least 10 years experience as an Architect.
    I will draft an Architecture, based on SMPL/BMEWS with MS Components.
    Therefore, I should keep in touch with Larry Hunter at Spargo, Dave Mitchell at Spur, Peter, Phil, Peter and Earl.

    Requirements for the Technology level :
  • Candidates show they can quickly assimilate information about new technologies.
  • Candidates also demonstrate that they have a detailed knowledge of the concepts and application of at least two depth competencies, such as :-
    • (1) Data management and structuring.
    • (2) User experience, including smart clients and adaptive UI
    • (2 alternate) Integration, with knowledge of traditional enterprise application integration (EAI) products such as Microsoft BizTalk Server, IBM WebSphere, or BEA WebLogic.
    • Component and solution modeling
    • Solutions frameworks (for example, the Microsoft .NET Framework and Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition [J2EE]).
  • Barry's page on MS
    MS Certified Architect Program
    url
    url
    11th. Aug 8.30 am Olympic Judo Coverage The BBC Provides decent coverage of Judo at the Olympics. Judo at the Olympics url
    11th. Aug 11.00 pm SQL Server DBA I imagine that your database is set to full recovery mode.
    This which means that the log will only truncate on a checkpoint which will happen when you do a backup.
    Importing data is likely to grow the log substantially and if it's rarely backed up, it's likely to grow to a size of many Gigabytes.
    There are 3 things that you should do here.
    1. Truncate your log (ie clear the entries in the log)
    2. Shrink you log (which will reclaim the space the file system)
    3. Set your recovery mode to simple which will mean that things are minimally logged from hereon.

    After you've done this, open Managment Studio, right click your database and bring up the properties.
    Select 'Options' on the left hand pane.
    On the right hand panel, you'll see a 'Recovery Model' dropdown that you should set to 'Simple'.
    This will now prevent the log from growing to that size.
    If you now go to the files option, you can delete the current log file and create a new one with the same prefix as your mdf file.
    You may have to bring your database offline to do this.
    SQL Server will still be running when you close down Management Studio because it runs as a service and that is why you still see a log.
    A SQL Server log file will never be automatically deleted - it must be done manually.
    Imagine that you unexpectedly pull the power on your computer.
    As soon as you repower the machine, all uncommitted transactions will be rolled back and log file is used to do this.
    Microsoft Support for 1 & 2 url
    2nd. Aug 8.00 am Wine A new wine called Fish Hoek from South Africa is being introduced into the UK.
    I think that qualifies as a funny name because it made me smile.
    So I'll have a look for it this weekend. it's available in Tesco. among other places,
    Fish Hoek from eWine
    Fish Hoek from LoveThatWine
    Fish Hoek from Tesco
    url
    url
    url
    2nd. Aug 7.00 am MyLife Yesterday I bought the Financial Times,(the UK's equivalent of the Wall Street Journal). I was very surprised and pleased to see a lengthy article about Qik, a small piece of mobile software to "stream live video to the Web right from your phone". It's like YouTube but live !!!
    I never heard of Qik, but already they have competitor called Kyte.
    Qik
    Kyte
    url
    url
    1st. Aug 6.00 pm Google Developer Day Being held in London on Tuesday, September 16th. 2008. Google Developer Day url
    1st. Aug 12.15 pm Internet Radio A good-looking Internet Radio was advertised in yesterday's Guardian newspaper (UK) at £99.95. Internet Radio url
    30th. July 7.00 am Judo at the Olympics Monitor Judo on the Telegraph Web Site from August 9th. to August 15th. Judo
    Telegraph Web Site
    url
    url
    30th. July 6.30 am World Tour Prepare Presentation to be given aroud the world to Global MNCs, Not-for-Profits and Governments. Presentations will include :-
    Approach (BP) and Framework
    Tools, (on behalf of Microsoft, Salesforce.com and Informatica)
    Locations will include KL,Vietnam,(Tam), Dubai,(Walid's brothers), Chiba, (Aiko and Kashiwazaki) Sydney,(Azri family), Hawaii (Kona Surf Hotel), LA (Uncle Cesar and Vic Braden), Canada (Ottawa), and London.
    Topics will include Getting Started, or Assessment of where you are and getting on Track, incorporating BP for DQ and/or BI and DQ or BMEWS Framework combined.
    Make contact with Karim Hussein, Mohd in Ipoh, Gijs Arends at RaboBank.nl.
    Forum 3 url
    31st. July 10.00 pm Salesforce Data Manipulation I must investigate the third-party organisations that have sprung up to offer Data Manipulation software for Salesforce.
    DBAmp integrates SQL Server and Salesforce data and is priced at US$1,295 per year.
    CRM Fusion
    forceAmp for SQL Svr
    Lucid Era Online Reports
    url
    url
    url
    30th. July 8.00 pm Cloud Computing Microsoft announces its plans for Online Services, including Sharepoint,(but not Online DB yet). InfoWorld News Item
    Microsoft Online Services
    Web 2.0 Lessons
    url
    url
    url
    30th. July 6.00 am 2DoList 1. Contact Dave Mitchell
    2. Draft World Tour and Paper for Walid's "Info and Quality: the Global Dimension"
    This should be similar to the World Tour.
    3. Publish new Tutorial on Getting Started
    4. Work on Fresh Brewed Media Database for Brian
    5. Sign up with Microsoft's Start-Up Zone.
    6. Look into being a Microsoft Mobile Partner.
    7. Follow-up my Toolkit and include full range from PDA Data Entry to BI Reports, including DQ.
       
    23rd. July 8.00 am Norlia Here's a major Exhibition in October on Volunteering opportunities, in the Business Design Centre, Islington. Forum 3 url
    19th. July 11.00 am Data Modelling I am preparing a new Tutorial for YouTube about 'Getting Started on Database Design, and I should include Is-a leads to Inheritancebut I shouldn't include Has-a, because that is too O-O.
    The Blackberry Bold and Curve look good for Smartphones,but whatever the question is, the Answer is Salesforce.com.
    Blackberry Bold
    Blackberry Curve
    Has-a in Wikipedia
    Is-a in Wikipedia
    Salesfoce and iPhone
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    13th. July 7.30 am Hotels The Redesdale Arms in Moreton-in-the-Marsh, Gloucestershire, gets a good review in the Telegraph. THeir Web Site was created by a company called Solutions Squared which looks good. Redesdale Arms
    Solutions Squared
    url
    url
    12th. July 11.30 am MyLife There's an intriguing newspaper ad and a Web Site from Orange. "I am" Web Site url
    12th. July 11.00 am Norlia We put a short Video on YouTube to show Norlia enjoying the delicious Confiture created and donated by Florence from Yvoire.


    Here's Take 1, where Norlia burst into laughter before the end !!!
    Norlia's Video
    Norlia's Video (Take 1)
    url
    url
    2nd. July 8.55 am CMS An article in yesterday's Financial Times about 'Getting away from it all' mentions a company called SiteKit that develops CMS software and is based on the Isle of Skye, off the coast of Scotland - about as remote as you can get They also mention Lightfoot Solutions, a consultancy specialising in performance Reporting, and based in marlowe, a lot nearer home.
    Both Web Sites look good and are worth checking out.
    Lightfoot Solutions
    SiteKit CMS
    url
    url
    30th. June 8.00 am Work An ad is appearing regularly (in the UK) for a Web Site called TopITConsultant.com.
    I should register and submit my CV to their Search engine.
    Top IT Consultant
    Register and Submit CV
    url
    url
    28th. June 11.30 pm Publishing When I am ready to publish my book on Data Modelling, I will probably start with Lulu, with an ISBN. Lulu
    Lulu and ISBN
    url
    url
    21st. June 8.00 am Norlia Norlia is interested in polishing up her Arabic skills so that she can translate articles and documents.
    Recognised qualifications in the UK include DPSI, which is the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting of the Institute of Linguists (IOL).
    The London Arabic School looks interesting.
    DPSI
    IOL
    London Arabic School
    Women in Islam
    url
    url
    url
    url
    21st. June 7.00 am Interviews Get practice in Interview techniques with some people who are well-known in the UK. Be My Interviewer url
    21st. June 7.00 am Dog Whisperer Uncle Cesar visits Seal Beach, a Gated Community near Los Angeles.
    I must remember to email Cesar and offer help with my Data Model.
    Seal Beach url
    20th. June 11.00 pm Tutorials "Getting Started with Database Design" or "Database Design for Munchkins" Starting Point url
    8th. June 8.30 am MyLife BT offers a Digitial Vault and an Internet-capable smartphone BT ToGo, (nmade by HTC), with their Broadband Anywhere package. My current favourite is the HTC Touch Pro, running Windows Mobile. BT Digital Vault
    BT ToGo SmartPhone
    HTC
    HTC Touch Pro Photo
    url
    url
    url
    url
    6th. June 11.30 pm Salesforce Salesforce look great !!! Check out the SaaS Webinar - "SaaS VC 101: Insider Tips for SaaS Entrepreneurs Webinar". Salesforce Update
    Data Validation Rules
    Database Services
    SaaS Webinar
    SOQL
    VisualForce GUI
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    6th. June 11.00 pm Norway Maybe we'll take a weekend break to Stavanger Norway and see the Fjords. Norway Short Breaks url
    31st. May 11.30 pm Development I must catch up with Web 2.0 and Development to prepare for my World Tour.
    Starting with Native Planet, Native Web, and the Web2forDev Conference held at FAO HQ in Rome,Italy 25-27 September 2007. Native Planet describes itself as a "Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) dedicated to the self-empowerment of indigenous people and the preservation of world ethnic cultures".
    Native Web offers "Resources for Indigenous Cultures around the World".
    I must find some names of people to talk to, like Colin Nicholas and Rizuan in Malaysia.
    COAC
    Colin Nicholas at Harvard
    Native Planet
    Native Web
    Native Wiki
    Rizuan Tempek
    Web2forDev Conference
    Web2forDev Wiki
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    31st May 11.00 pm Norlia I should look into eLearning and Learning Management Systems (LMS) especially for Native People, and especially see if there is any common ground with Web 2.0 for Indigenous People. LMS at Kingston U
    LMS at University of Melbourne
    url
    url
    31st. May 10.30 pm 2DoList Google for "Web 2.0 for Indigenous People". Development Gateway url
    url
    31st. May 7.55 am Mobile Dev Toolkit Blackberry are holding a presentation in London next week about their new Development Toollkit.
    I also came across a UK company called Kirona, selling a Mobile Development Toolkit to Local Governemnt, and Northgate is one of their Partners. There is also a free one-day Conference on Mobile Working in Environmental Health in London on June 19th..
    Blackberry
    Kirona
    Mobiles in Env. Health
    Northgate Mobile
    url
    url
    url
    url
    25th. May 7.55 am Travel The Daily Telegrah Travel Section mentions an Insurance company called Final Touch (Phone 0116 272 0500) that specialises in providing insurance coverage for people with past health conditions.City Breaks from Great GetAways look good.
    Norway's Fjords look good, but right now, our current favourite is Turkey
    City Breaks
    Final Touch Insurance
    Go to Turkey
    Great GetAways
    Turkey Weekend Breaks
    Visit Norway
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    25th. May 7.45 am My Profile My Social Life -
  • DBA Email - gmail.com (m3)
  • FaceBook - Bobby C/h_dba@yahoo.com
  • DBA at Gmail
    Facebook
    url
    url
    25th. May 7.30 am MyLifeBits MS StartUp Zone :-
    Me and My Profile
  • My Life (Documents, Receipts, Tickets, etc..
  • My Social Life (FaceBook - Bobby C/h_dba@yahoo.com), Music etc).
  • My KPI Work (BI/SMPL)
  • My Sales Work (Single View of Customer)

    Possible Partners include :-
  • AppSwing, Data Foundations,iBase, InSource, Twisted Fish
  • MyLife
    My Life Bits
    My Social Life
    My Work
    url
    url
    url
    url
    24th May 10.30 am MDM I should check with Mike Andrews (Phone 0208-323-8438) at Inflection Point in Hammersmith, to seee if they are still Stratature's partner in the UK - they seem to have moved to Guildford - Phone 01483-549075. Inflection Point
    Stratature
    url
    url
    24th May 7.00 am Newsletters Database Trends and Applications is a Newsletter worth subscribing to for Database Professionals. DBTA Newsletter url
    24th May 7.30 am Data-as-a-Service Cloud Computing is the 'Next Big Thing' and Amazon is one of the major players.
    Vertica offers Data Warehousing on a Cloud with Amazon.
    Bloor's View on Vertica
    Cloud Data from Vertica
    url
    url
    24th May 7.00 am Newsletters Database Trends and Applications is a Newsletter worth subscribing to for Database Professionals. DBTA Newsletter url
    21st May 8.30 pm Enterprise Data Mash-Ups Enterprise Data Mash-ups are becoming very popular, and are defined by Gartner as
    1) getting their data from external sources
    2) being Web-based
    3) Use Building-Block Applications.
    Vendors and Products include Denodo Data Mashup, LiquidApps, Serena Software.
    Major players include IBM's Microsoft's QEDWiki,Microsoft's Popfly and Yahoo's Pipes.
    Denodo's Data Mashup
    IBM's QEDWiki demo
    LiquidApps
    Microsoft's Popfly
    Open ESB for Java
    Serena
    Yahoo Pipes
    Yahoo Pipes in Wikipedia
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    20th May 9.00 pm Database Sayings In a footnote in a book called "The Art of SQL" I came across a remarkable assertion, which is that the great saying that "The data in a record depends on the Key, the Whole Key and nothing but the Key" was coined by William Kent - (but it doesn't add "So help me Codd".
    Howevr, when I checked his Web Site I couldn't find it mentioned anywhere.
    Bill Kent's Web Site url
    20th May 8.30 pm My Life I came across an interesting Database product called "Data on the Run", which runs on Windows Mobile. Maybe I can use it to get up-and-running with MyLife and my Development Toolkit (for MyLife,CMI and SMPL)
    But it seems like crazy price at $15 or £10 !!!
    Data on the Run url
    20th May 8.30 am Online Databases I signed up for a free 30-day Trial of the WebEx Online Database and Office facility. My WebEx DB url
    19th May 8.30 am Vacations It is possible to take a trip to visit the Berber in the Sahara Desert. Fly with XL Airways to Sharm El Sheikh, and stay in the Al Karm Eco-Lodge for $10/£5 a night. Al-Karm Eco-Lodge
    Bedouin Trails
    XL Airways
    url
    url
    url
    19th May 8.00 am Grand Hotels The Cap Ferrat Grand Hotel in the South of France is one of my favourite Hotels, along with the Biltmore in Santa Barbara, California. Biltmore Hotel
    Grand Hotel
    url
    url
    url
    19th May 7.30 am Wales Welsh Railway Cambrian Railway url
    18th May 11.30 pm MDM Learn Informatica Learn BI
    Learn Informatica
    url
    url
    18th May 10.30 pm Files of WIP 1) MDM Data Architecture diagram - "C:/WIP/Data_Arch_MDM_Layer.doc".
    2) MDM Vendor Integration (for Insource,etc) - "C:/WIP/MDM_Vendor_Integration.doc"
    3) PDA Proposal for Mobl Development Toolkit - "C:/PDA_Proposal/dev_toolkit4_mbl_applns/doc"
    4) Partners for PDA Proposal - "C:/PDA_Proposal/parters.doc"
       
    18th May 10.00 pm Wikis The OpenSocial Foundation is worth looking into.
    I saw an interesting book on Wiki Patterns by Stewart Mader in Waterstones, but didn't buy it until I checked it out on Amazon,where I found it got 4.5 Stars.
    Among other things, I found a reference to AllTop, which covers All the Top Stories, all the time, and describes itself as "is an innovative site that lists the five most recent stories". from a variety of sites around the web on topic pages like small business, social media, science, photography, fashion, politics, sports, etc.
    AllTop
    Open Social Foundation
    Stewart Mader's Amazon Blog
    Stewart Mader's Wiki Blog
    Wiki Patterns Book
    Wiki Patterns Web Site
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    18th May 9.00 pm SQL I found a Web Site called SQL Zoo that's useful for SQL, which was mentioned in a book I bought today called SQL Hacks. SQL Hacks Book
    SQL Zoo
    url
    url
    18th May 10.00 am Mind, Body and Spirit Maybe we should go to the Annual Festival in the Royal Horticulturial Hall,s Greycoat St, SW1P 2QD. My favourties include Denise LaSalle, Patti LaBelle, Latimore and Tyrone Davis. Festival url
    16th May 11.55 pm DB On Demand/SaaS Here's a good Blog on the Boomi Web Site - where Boomi is described as the SalesForce of Data Integration. Boomi Blog
    CallCenterInfo
    url
    url
    15th May 9.00 pm Music Floyd Taylor - "You Still Got It" is a great song on Southern Soul Radio, along with "I Wish It Was Me" by Tyrone Davis. Southern Soul Radio url
    15th May 8.30 pm Reporting Svcs Templates Googling for "reporting services" "design patterns" was very productive.
    I like the word Templates but it turns out it has a much more limited meaning than "Design Patterns"
    A good article on Reusable Templates in Reporting Services in the Database Journal, and another one on Enterprise Reporting in the same Journal.
    Assorted Microsoft Blogs
    Blog on Bus Rules
    Blog on Rptng Svcs
    ComponentOne
    Report Templates
    Enterprise Reporting.
    SQL Team
    Search SQLServer
    Studio Live Web Examples
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    15th May 8.30 pm Semantic Web I came across a Conference in new York on the Exploring the New Web of Linked Data, featuring the Semantic Web. Calais Connects everything
    Franz Web 3.0's Database
    New Web of Linked Data
    OpenLink Middleware
    Open Link Data Spaces
    Semantic Technology Lab
    Semantic Web Appln Platform
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    14th May 8.00 pm Sigma Six I should think about Sigma Six as a Framework for SMPL.
    One Six Sigma reports work by UK Government.
    Business Balls
    Fujitsu Lean Services
    One Six Sigma
    url
    url
    url
    11th May 11.30 pm SaaS I found a new Hosted Service provider called Nasstar in the UK. There are more than 8 million small businesses in the United States alone. eLearners.com
    Microsoft Online Services
    Partner Opportunities
    Nasstar Web Site
    url
    url
    url
    url
    10th May 11.30 pm Canada I started planning for my trip to Canada in July.
    I will show my Malaysian wife Algonquin Park and take a Canoe Trip. I came across some beautiful pictures of the Ottawa River.
    McElroy Web Site
    Sligo River Canoe Trip
    Whiteduck Native People
    url
    url
    url
    10th May 8.00 am Work My Case Study for Nomad is on the HelpIT USB.
    Joe's SMPL Vision is also on the same USB and should be a Presentation to get everybody thinking the same way, especially about top-level maps showing KPIs.
    2nd May 11.00 pm Joel on Software Here's a wonderful quote from Joel [on Software]:- "The hallmark of an architecture astronaut is that they don't solve an actual problem... they solve something that appears to be the template of a lot of problems. Or at least, they try" This is part of a tirade about Microsoft's Windows Live Mesh. Joel on Software
    Windows Live Mesh
    url
    url
    1st May 8.00 am Malaysia Norlia is driving her top-of-the-range Proton Perdana and listening to our favourite Lite Radio Station, which is 101.5 in Ipoh.
    She can check the Malaysian Government Portal
    Lite Radio
    Malaysian Gov't
    url
    url
    30th. April 8.00 pm Microsoft I emailed Gordon Bell on MyLifeBits to check on current status.
    Jim Gemmell has moved to a myhealthbits Project.
    GeoVector
    My Life Bits
    url
    url
    30th. April 8.00 pm Money Check with the Bank (24-hour number is 0845 309 0047) whether Stuart has paid the second Invoice.    
    30th. April 7.30 pm DVLA The DVLA contact is Wynford James but he hasn't replied to my email. The Swansea DVLA phone number is 0179 27 66153, and the Wimbledon ffice is 0870-850-0007. Wynford's email email
    29th Apr 10.30 am Norlia Mobile in Malaysia 0060 132 578 565 (7 hours ahead). Room 366 in PJ Hilton.    
    29th Apr 9.00 am WIP Earl's Complaints Reports are in C:/Ealing/Earls_Reports/Customer_Complaints/    
    29th Apr 8.30 am Microsoft "It's a bad way for Microsoft to be perceived"    
    26th Apr 11.00 pm MDM Object River can map to your own Enterprise Data Model, and they publish some interesting White Papers. "ObjectRiver’s products are developed around a unique programmable metadata compiler technology." Building Mobile Dashboards
    White Papers from Bus Intell
    ObjectRiver
    url
    url
    url
    23rd Apr 11.00 pm Google and SalesForce Here's a very interesting Blog from IT Business Edge about Google as a threat to corporate IT. Blog url
    22nd Apr 11.00 pm Online Databases I must check out Zoho Creator and Zoho Creator Mobile - turns out I am registered as bw/m333, with email of dba@gmail.com !!! Zoho Creator
    Zoho Mobile
    url
    url
    20th Apr 11.00 am Microsoft SQL Svr Astoria is very important, and I came across a good Data Platform and a 'Data Platform Blog' to check from time-to-time. Astoria
    MS Data Platform
    MS Data Platform Blog
    url
    url
    url
    20th Apr 11.00 am Microsoft Online I must sign up for the Microsoft Beta of Online Services, especially Sharepoint. Microsoft Beta
    Microsoft Online
    url
    url
    18th Apr 11.55 pm Music I'd forgotten how much I like Zapp & Roger until I heard them on AOL's Funk Radio Station.
    Whenever I hear Computer Love it reminds of Fiji where I met my beautiful Malaysian wife.
    Computer Love
    I heard it on the Grapevine
    More Bounce to the Ounce
    Fiji Judo Association
    url
    url
    url
    url
    18th Apr 11.45 pm Joke The Giotto story reminds me of a genius in another, much baser realm: Aaron Spelling, master of the sitcom. Supposedly Spelling sold a network on a project by economically describing it as follows: "Three attractive nurses share an apartment in Dallas; it's hot and they don't have air conditioning."    
    18th Apr 11.30 pm Work I remember working for one idiot who thought he could manage me, even though he was stupid and didn't understand the work I was doing, and certainly couldn't do it himself. I've just seen it described by Joel (as in Joel on Software) as :- "The cult of the MBA likes to believe that you can run organizations that do things that you don't understand."
    Joel is describing a "Bill Gates Review" of his Project, where the measure of success was how few F Words Bill Gates said. Joel scored an all-time low of Four !!
    I came across a company called Red Gate who write ingeniously simple tools to make the job the SQL Server DBA easier.
    Business Of Software.org
    Joel on Software
    Red Gate Blog
    Red Gate Software
    url
    url
    url
    url
    18th Apr 8.45 am Wine A very popular White Wine is Pinot Grigio from Italy, available at Cafe Rouge Pinio Grigio at Cafe Rouge url
    18th Apr 8.30 am Music The Fatback Band are coming to England and playing at the Jazz Cafe on Sunday, April 27th, a week before the Blind Boys of Alabama on Saturday, May 3rd..
    Later the Neville Brothers will be in the UK on Sunday, July 20th..
    An African Berber group called Tinariwen is also coming to the Jazz Cafe.
    Blind Boys at Jazz Cafe
    Fatback and Disco Dance Lesson
    Fatback at Jazz Cafe
    Fatback on YouTube
    New Fatback Album on Amazon
    Neville Brothers at O2 Indigo
    Tinariwen on YouTube
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    URL
    17th Apr 11.00 pm Money I found a guy selling Access Databases for prices ranging from £99 to £399 that I am giving away from free !!! I guess I'm not as smart as I thought I was.
    I must get going and use ShareIT to sell things over the Internet.
    Access ToGo
    ShareIT
    url
    url
    17th Apr 2.00 pm Development Today's (British) Guardian newspaper repports on Google's AppEngine which works in conjunction with Salesforce.com.
    The DataStore looks interesting.
    Amazon's SimpleDB
    AppEngine
    AppEngine DataStore
    BigTable Database
    SalesForce.com
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    17th Apr 11.00 am UK KPIs In the UK, a new set of 198 national indicators was introduced last October, and will apply to Local Authorities from the start of the 2009/10 financial year. Spending Review url
    16th Apr 20.00 pm Videos Norlia's Sister in the Durian Plantation and the 'Pingu To-the-Left Dance'. N's Sister
    Pingu
    url
    url
    14th Apr 11.00 pm Reporting Svcs To get a Report to print on one page specify the width in the .RDL file, 27.5cm instead of, for example, 31.25cm. Lisa's Blog
    My Question
    url
    url
    13th Apr 6.30 pm Norlia Depart Heathrow (Terminal 3) at 22.00 hrs Sunday, 27th. April, (leave home at 7.00 pm.) Return Monday, 5th. May, arriving 16.15 hours. Trailfinders url
    13th Apr 6.00 pm MyLife There's a Promotion in this month's Esquire magazine for Windows Mobile, mentioning the interface with Windows Office and Windows Media Player.The same issue mentions GooSync which will sync your Google Calendar to your Mobile/Cellphone. GooSync
    Photos of SmartPhones
    Start Doing More
    Windows Mobile
    url
    url
    11th Apr 8.00 am Travel I picked up an interesting free Travel magazine, put out by a Travel Web Site called Kulmulka, featuring a trip to Borneo, so maybe I'll add Borneo to my World Tour that kicks off in the summer. A Google sponsored link threw up another Travel Web Site specialising in Worldwide Trips. Maybe I will speak at Microsoft's TechEd Conference, about :-
    "A Case Study of BI integrated to Mobile Applications"
    "Global Enterprise Data Management" and/or
    "A Universal Data Platform for Mobile Applications".
    Kumulka (UK)
    Kumulka (US)
    Microsoft TechEd 2008
    TripsWorldWide (Borneo)
    url
    url
    url
    url
    10th Apr 9.30 pm Spcial Networks Today's Guardian newspaper had a very interesting article by Victor Keegan about Social Networking for Mobile/Cellphones, especially in South-East Asia, mentioning myGamma. Kiva
    MyGamma
    Zopa
    url
    url
    url
    10th Apr 10.30 am Time Thursday am - Greenford Summary, left at 10.45 am. Spelthorne came in top 16 of Council Web Sites according to SOCITM. SOCITM
    Spelthorne Council
    url
    url
    10th Apr 8.00 am Development I wonder whether I can use Microsoft Sharepoint Server to build DB-driven Web Sites that are driven by SQL Server. Then I can use it for MLB and maybe Mobile Applications !!!
    Maybe I can instal it on SMPL and also on my VPS at HostMySite.
    Then I can provide one simple front-end for Earl to look at Reports and Spreadsheets.
    I downloaded with Product Key of Q7B7D-R4Y2B-4K2MK-DYDX7-HHYGJ to use when I instal it.
    Sharepoint Designer Home Page
    SharePoint Designer on Wikipedia
    url
    6th Apr 11.00 am DBA Community The login is hobo_dba. DBA Community url
    6th Apr 10.30 am My Wife We had unexpected SNOW today which my (Malaysian) wife thought was wonderful. I took some great photos and here are just three of them. Norlia in the Snow (1)
    Norlia in the Snow (2)
    Norlia in the Snow (3)
    url
    url
    url
    6th Apr 10.00 am Music Elvis Presley had a great voice and liked to sing Gospel songs.
    Here's a selection of my favourites.
    Amazing Grace
    10 Most Loved
    url
    url
    6th Apr 9.30 am Music I found Amazing Grace by Blind Boys of Alabama on YouTube along with some other versions of this beautiful song. Aretha Franklin
    Aretha (10 minutes)
    Blind Boys
    Cherokee Native American
    Elvis Presley
    Leann Rhimes
    Mahalia Jackson
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    6th Apr 9.00 am Music I had to miss one of the wonderful Blind Boys of Alabama talking on British Radio to take the photos. They will be appearing at the Jazz Cafe on May 3rd. 2008. Blind Boys in Wikipedia
    Jazz Cafe (London)
    On Rosebuds Web Site
    YouTube "Amazing Grace"
    YouTube "Run On"
    YouTube "Too Close"
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    4th Apr 11.30 pm Saying of the Week "I like my Frends to have Character when it matters" - from Buchanan in Law and Order, Friday April 4th. 2008.    
    4th Apr 10.30 pm MLM An interesting Web Site offering Multi-Level Marketing Software, plus a variety of other good-looking stuff. Simple MLM url
    2nd Apr 10.30 pm Top 10 Web Sites The British Telegraph newspaper nominates its Top 10 Web Sites, all of which are worth a look, and most of them I have never heard of !!! Top 10 Web Sites url
    2nd Apr 8.15 pm Dog Whisperer In today's British Telegraph newspaper, there's a good article about Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer in LA. Cesar Millan's Web Site
    Dog Whisperer Article
    url
    url
    2nd Apr 8.45 am SQL Server Here's a British company called redgate offering "ingeniously simple tools" for SQL Server. regdate software url
    2nd Apr 8.30 am Hilary Swank There's a great photo of Hilary Swank, running on the beach, in the UK National Portrait Gallery and Vanity Fair Hilary Swank
    National Portrait Gallery
    Vanity Fair Magazine
    url
    url
    url
    1st Apr 11.30 pm Company Info Alacra Store is a place to get information on Registered Companies. Alacra Store url
    1st Apr 11.00 pm WaterSide Apt Here's an Estate Agents dealing only in properties with Water Views WaterView Apts url
    30th Mar 10.00 pm My Life Here's a Web Site called TryPhone that might be useful for my Beta of MyLife SmartPhone by allowing me to simulate User Scenarios. TryPhone url
    30th Mar 1.30 pm Norlia Here's a photo of N's back after I removed the Allergy Patches, and My Presentation N's Back
    Presentation
    jpg
    30th Mar 10.00 am Conference 2008 My Presentation is at 9.40 am Tuesday, April 1st..
    Google for DQ Audit
    Agenda
    Speakers
    url
    url
    29th Mar 8.00 am Semantic Web Tim Berners-Lee says "The Semantic Web involves RDF and SPARQL", SPARQL is a query language and a protocol for accessing RDF, designed by the W3C RDF Data Access Working Group.
    I registered as bw/m3 with BT's new public Development facility called Web21CN.
    BT's WEB21C
    SPARQL Tutorial
    SPARQL and Web 2.0
    url
    url
    url
    url
    29th Mar 10.30 pm World Tour Prepare Presentation and DaaS for MDM, CDI and Mobile Application, and a Software Toolkit based Microsoft products.
    Contact Country Managers for Microsoft in Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia, Hawaii and Canada, to ask what is most in-demand topic and area of interest.
    ISO 11179 url
    29th Mar 10.30 pm Registries Here's an interesting ISO 11179 Standard for MetaData Registries. ISO 11179 url
    27th Mar 9.30 pm Data Quality Here's a free download and trial De-Dupe Software, with annual support at $995 from SQL Power in Canada.
    However, when I downloaded it, I couldn't instal it because it turned out to be a .JAR file which wanted to be installed on a Nokia Cellphone. When I called their Support number there was nobody there and I was prompted to leave a message. I sent an email at 10.00 pm London time and I'm still waiting for an answer.
    De-Dupe Software
    SQL Power
    url
    url
    26th Mar 7.30 pm Windows Mobile Some very interesting material here about Windows Mobile !!! Windows Mobile Home Page
    Windows Mobile Overview
    Database access
    url
    url
    26th Mar 7.30 pm Global Mobile Awards Some interesting Winners here !!! Global Mobile Awards
    Winners
    url
    url
    26th Mar 8.00 am Social Networks Google, MySpace and Yahoo annnounced yesterday that they will join in creating the OPenSocial Foundation, which will be a neutral, community-governed forum for developing applications for Social Networks. OpenSocial Foundation
    Yahoo's Announcement
    url
    url
    24th Mar 9.00 am TechSupport A while ago, I used a wonderful PC and IT Trouble-shooting Services service called GeekSquad (phone 0800-049-4335),who helped me with a terrible problem called "Sticky Keys".
    They didn't ask for any money.
    Their slogan is "When PC love turns to hate, the Geek Squad are the relationship experts". I found another from British Telecom (BT),offering 24/7 Business IT Support (phone 0800-707-6307), A third 24/7 Service was "Tech Guys from PC World" (phone 0800 066 5833).
    BT IT Support
    Geek Squad
    The Tech Guys
    url
    url
    url
    23rd. Mar 1.00 pm Magazines Two magazines worth checking out are Application Development Trends and Intelligent Enterprise. ADT Mag
    Intelligent Enterprise
    url
    url
    23rd. Mar 1.00 pm Global Knowledge There's an organisation called the Global Knowledge Partnershhip, based in KL.
    Norlia Shidan started a Community for Native People.
    Global Knowledge Partnership
    Native People Community
    url
    url
    23rd. Mar 8.00 pm Black Music Maybe I'll go and see Mavis Staples in London's Barbican on Tuesday, April 15th. (phone 0207-638-8891), or Eric Clapton in Hyde Park on June 28th.. I bought a copy of a magazine called Juke Blues, which turned out to be British, with a very minimalistic Web Site. Anti Record Label
    Barbican Theatre
    Blues Foundation
    Jaheim
    Juke Blues Magazine
    Mavis Staples
    Southern Soul Radio
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    23rd. Mar 10.00 am Music Maybe I'll go and see Eric Clapton in Hyde Park on June 28th. I found a promising Music Download site connected to CNet.
    There's an interesting Site called MetaCritic which helps you make informed buying decisions across a wide range of entertainment, like Books, Music and Movies
    Eric Clapton in Hyde Park
    MetaCritic
    Music.Download.com
    url
    url
    url
    22nd. Mar 7.30 pm Contacts Louie (459915) and Tye (7949455192)    
    21st. Mar 16.30 pm MyWife My wife drew my attention to an item in the Telegraph saying :-
    "Today's perfect Wife is a good cook who argues" !!
       
    21st. Mar 16.00 pm GPs I see a poster for a new organisation in Welbeck Street offering Doctor's services called Circle Health Circle Health url
    21st. Mar 7.00 am SalesForce Maybe I should go to the SalesForce.com DreamForce Developers Conference in London at the beginning of May.
    I should certainly look into developing Applications for the Apple iPhone using Salesforce.
    I registered as a Developer (dba@gmail.com/m3) altho it seems I can't use SalesForce to develop Applications, only to link between SalesForce and the iPhone SDK.
    Application Framework
    Database Services
    Data Design - Best Practice
    Developer's Wiki
    DreamForce,London
    Pervasive SaaS Data Integration
    SalesForce and iPhone SDK
    Salesforce Blog
    SalesForce Enterprise Integration
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    20th. Mar 11.00 am Shopping I have liked Banana Republic since my wife and I discovered them in Hawaii twenty years ago. Now they have opened a store here in London. The British Daily Telegraph newspaper reports that the shopping "experience is like America itself : eerily agreeable". Banana Republic (UK)
    Banana Republic (US)
    url
    19th. Mar 11.30 pm Presentations I came across a Blog on the Takahashi Presentation Method which might be worth a look. Takahashi Method url
    19th. Mar 1.30 pm Money Today's Telegraph has 50 Tips on saving money.
    Two that I liked were for very cheap (and legal) downloads from a Russian Music Web Site, and the other was a price comparison web site for flights called Kayak.
    Kayak
    Russian Music Downloads
    url
    url
    17th. Mar 8.00 pm Development Ruby on Rails is a very popular Development Framework brought to you by the folks from 37 Signals, which sounds like a great place to work - only 9 employees, no meetings, and even days when people are not allowed to talk to each other !!! By coincidence, the current British .net magazine and the US Wired magazine have articles about it. Wired also mentions an alternative called Merb.
    Among other things I found a good-looking Web Site called Kineta, related to a popular CMS package called Drupal.
    37 Signals
    Drupal CMS
    Kineta (Nottingham,UK)
    Merb
    Ruby on Rails
    Write a WebSite Brief
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    15th. Mar 8.00 pm SaaS Here's an interesting update on the SaaS Showplace, predicting a great future for Software-as-a-Service in 2008, and news about Pervasive. Pervasive Hosted Integration
    Pervasive SaaS Data Integration
    SaaS Showplace
    url
    url
    url
    15th. Mar 8.00 am Apartments Price range = £365/week = £1,500/month.
    1) Haven Lane - 2 bedroom house unfurnished ? - Haart 0845 338 5433 (£1,400/mnth)
    2) Hillcrest Heights (Hangar Lane) - striking bldg - Rolfe East, 0208-840-7707 (£461/week)
    Haart
    Rolfe East
    url
    url
    15th. Mar 7.45 am MyLifeBits MS StartUp Zone :-
    Me and My Profile
  • My Life (Documents, Receipts, Tickets, etc..
  • My Social Life (FaceBook, Music etc).
  • My KPI Work (BI/SMPL)
  • My Sales Work (Single View of Customer)

    Possible Partners include :-
  • AppSwing, Data Foundations,iBase, InSource, Twisted Fish
  • MyLife
    My Life Bits
    My Social Life
    My Work
    url
    url
    url
    url
    14th. Mar 11.45 pm IBM IBM offers an Express Advantage to small businesses in the UK. IBM (UK)
    IBM Express Advantage
    PartnerWorld Advantage
    url
    url
    14th. Mar 11.30 pm Music Napster and O2 combine to offer downloads to compete with iTunes and 7Digital. 7Digital
    Apple iTunes
    Napster (UK)
    Napster (US)
    O2
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    12th. Mar 11.00 pm MyLife/UPDA In Monday's Times newspaper, there was a fascinating article about using a Cell/Mobile Phone with a 'Virtual Personal Trainer' called miCoach (with a beautfiul Web Site). This is a "total coaching system", produced as the result of collaboration between adidas and Samsung.
    It's a wonderful example of a "Universal Smart Phone".
    A separate report says that Touch-Phones are taking off thanks to the success of the iPhone.
    Adidas miCoach
    GizModo
    Review on GizModo
    Samsung miCoach
    Touch Phones take Off
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    8th. Mar 8.30 am Conference I will buy a Panama hat from Alfred Sayers, based in Ealing since 1901, (because of the connection with Alec Guiness and Ealing Comedies), for my Presentation at the Ark Group Conference on Data Quality at 15.40 pm on Monday, Mar 31st.. The title of my Presentation is "Setting objectives for a data quality strategy" and here are the bullet points :-
  • Identifying the infrastructure to create a data quality reporting framework
  • Setting a quality control initiative for the entire information environment
  • Developing plans to enrich the quality and integrity of business data
  • Getting Started on the Road to Success
  • Alfred Sayers Classic Menswear
    Ark Group
    Conference on Data Quality
    Conference Speakers
    Gartner's Magic Quadrant
    Ealing Studios
    Ealing Studios in Wikipedia
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    8th. Mar 8.00 am Music I must sign up with Malaco Records and buy the latest CD from two of my all-time favourite singers - Tyrone Davis "Can I Change my Mind ?" and Latimore ("Let's Straighten it Out").
    I heard a new guy I like called Vick Allen.
    Latimore's Bio
    Latimore's Photo
    Listen to Southern Soul Radio
    Malaco Records
    Southern Soul Radio Web Site
    Tyrone Davis Bio
    Vick Allend
    url
    url
    4th. Mar 8.00 pm TV Shows Here's a great quote from a TV Show called Cold Cases tonight :-
    "Do you ever feel you want to change your life, but you can't outrun your screwed-up family ?"
    Cold Case on CBS url
    2nd. Mar 3.00 pm MyLife Today's Sunday Times newspaper reports the Top 100 Best Small Companies to work for in the UK. Number 39 was Red Gate Software "which develops ingeniously simple software tools for database professionals". They sell useful tools for SQL Server. Maybe I'll ask them for something to load data into SQL Server. The Times also reports a group called SugaRush Beat Company consisting of three people who live (separately) in Australia, Denmark and the UK, and have some Videos on YouTube.
    I also bumped into an old friend called Dr.Balbir Barn who will shortly be taking up a new post as Assistan Dean at Middlesex Univerity.
    Dr.Balbir Barn
    Middlesex University
    Red Gate Software
    SugaRush Beat Company
    url
    url
    url
    url
    1st. Mar 6.00 pm Wales Today is St.David's Day here in the UK, so as a Welshman I was interested to see an article in the Telegraph suggesting Top 10 Welsh Web Sites. Top 10 Welsh Web Sites
    Tennis in Prestatyn
    Visit Prestatyn
    url
    url
    url
    url
    1st. Mar 10.00 am References There are a few References that I use regularly in my work as a Database Consultant. These include the
  • The Data Warehouse Institute (TDWI)
  • The Enterprise Data Management Council (for financial institutions)
  • The Intelligent Enterprise Web Site. I was also surprised to find that
  • Wikipedia can be useful as a reference. For example, they have an interesting page on Enterprise Data Management.
  • Data Warehouse Institute
    Enterprise Data Mgt Council
    Intelligent Enterprise
    Wikipedia on Data Mgt
    url
    url
    url
    url
    29th. Feb 10.30 pm Database Services SalesForce.com has a link to Database Services as part of their innovation in launching a Universal Application Development Platform. They have introduced a Salesforce Object Query Language,("SOQL"). Database Services
    SOQL
    url
    url
    29th. Feb 8.00 am BBC (UK) In the UK, the BBC has launched a facility for visitors to Customise their own Home Pages. BBC (UK) url
    url
    29th. Feb 7.30 am Native People Today's papers report that Eskimos file a lawsuit against oil companies because Global Warming is threatening to destry a tiny community in Alaska, consisting of 391 people in Kivalina. which is is a traditional Inupiat Eskimo village built on an eight-mile barrier reef. Centre on Race,Poverty & Env.
    Native American Rights Fund
    url
    url
    28th. Feb 9.00 pm Development I received an email from Marcel of ieg4 telling me about his company's great Form Builder Software. - and there's a Mobile version !!! ieg4
    mFormBuilder
    Microsoft Expression Web
    Expression Web Free Trial
    Think Vitamin
    Windows Mobile
    Crystal Web Site Development
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    28th. Feb 8.00 pm Music Duffy has a great new single out called Mercy, which you can hear on YouTube and on her MySpace Web Site. It turns out she's from Nefyn in North Wales, which is where I'm from - and Nefyn Golf Club has a beautiful Web Site. Duffy's Web Site
    Duffy on MySpace
    Mercy on YouTube
    Nefyn on BBC Web Site
    Nefyn Golf Club
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    25th. Feb 8.00 am People Yesterday's Sunday Times reports that an Irish girl is advising Barack Obama. Her name is Samantha Power and she is on the faculty in the Kennedy SChool of Government at Harvard. It also mentions a Blog by Serena Williams and a golfer called David Howell. Samantha Power at Harvard
    Samantha Power in Wikipedia
    Serena Williams
    David Howell
    url
    url
    url
    url
    24th. Feb 10.30 am MyLife I came across a reference to Ray Kurzweil, who is a noted futurologist, and recently announced that "21 years from now, machines will have both the hardware and software to achieve human-level artificial intelligence". Ray Kurzweil's AI Net
    Ray Kurzweil in Wikipedia
    url
    url
    23rd. Feb 11.30 pm Android I posted an invitation to collaborate in a Universal Data Platform. ADC Group url
    20th. Feb 9.00 am Diary 9.20 am Finish generating PDA Schedules for feb20th., (started last night with CSI). 9.30 am Started final review of Abatement Report.    
    13th. Feb 8.00 pm 2DoList In order of Importance :-
    0. FTP the BBC Data Model.
    1. Define Interface between Coghead and SQL Server.
    2. Define Interface between Popfly and SQL Server.
    3. Create readme files for Earl and Ceri.
    4. Decide what I want to achieve - Build MyLife and DaaS on DBA VPS, starting with Data Dictionary and MyLogin
    5. Draft Presentation on DQ (using Boomi as Case Study).
    6. Draft Presentation on MDM (and CDI) - think about leading discussion.
    7. Draft Presentation on DaaS (with Case Study).
    8. Draft Presentation on 'Global View of Enterprise Data Mgt'.
    9. Review Presentation on MDM and DQ (2007)
    10. A Mobile Data Platform - Amazon, Google, etc.. ('Developing for every Mobile Phone')
    A Data Platform provides clean data,std TOI - Entities,Tables,Classes/Objects.
    It offers a std way of writing DB-driven applns that can run in any environment.
    It's supported by a Data Svcs Layer Utilities for Clean-up, validation and transformation.
    11. Finish Paper on a PDA Tookit for MS Startup Zone
    (maybe 6 and 7 should be combined)
    12. Build CRM Application using Coghead as feasibility test for Order Processing
    and evaluate against SalesForce for better generic approach - eg MVC.
    Check SQL Server Central for advice on Application Generator.
    13. Web 2.0 and Native People for N.
    14. Check today's announcement on Amazon's Widgets.
    Amazon's Widgets
    Coghead
    Popfly
    Presentation on MDM
    url
    url
    url
    url
    13th. Feb 10.00 pm My Life Kevin is interested in participating in MyLife and is a specialist in Clarion which is a Template-based Application Generator. Clarion Software
    Software by Ragazzi
    UK Distributor for Clarion
    Wikipedia on Clarion
    url
    url
    url
    url
    13th. Feb 7.00 pm Popfly I registered with Popfly with Username of BarryW/m3. I stopped when I was asked to install Silverlight. Popfly Login
    Scott Guthrie's Blog
    (needs Silverlight)
    url
    url
    12th. Feb 7.00 pm DigitalOutreach A rather interesting part-time position was advertised for a Chair of the Board for a new organisation called Digital Outreach. For 15 days a year it pays £10,000. Digital Outreach url
    11th. Feb 7.00 pm MDM (V.2) Here's another MDM, which stands for Mobile Device Management (MDM).
    This material was taken from a supplement on Digital Business in the Financial Times for today.
    There are organisations like Innopath and Mformation (looking for a Solutions Architect in Windsor, England) specialising in MDM, and Cognito,in Mobile Workforce Management.
    Cognito
    Innopath
    Mformation
    Open Mobile Alliance
    Snapin
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    10th. Feb 10.00 pm Valentine's Day John Lewis can deliver flowers on the day. Flowers from John Lewis url
    10th. Feb 10.30 am Music There's a reissue of Michael Jackson's Thriller to mark the 25th Anniversary of the first release. Maybe I'll get it the DVD with the dance because it was great the first time around. Thriller CD from Amazon url
    9th. Feb 11.00 am Oracle HTML DB Here's a Web Site helping Database people find work. HTMLDB DBA Talent Network url
    8th. Feb 11.00 pm Candles A couple of years ago, we got in the habit of having Candles burning in the house.
    Then at a price (haha) of £30 or $60 it seemed dumb to just our money going up in smoke so we stopped.
    Somehow recently, Candles are creeping back into our lives.
    Today's evening paper has an article about six different brands, and I have added a few more that we like.
    Aromatherapy Associates
    Candles at Harrods
    Colonial Candles
    Cowshed
    Jo Malone
    Nina Campbell
    Space NK (UK)
    Space NK (US)
    Yankee Candles (UK)
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    7th. Feb 8.00 am Globalisation Mobile Applications have potential for Globalisation and Development.
    A recent email from the Communications Initiative had some other interesting articles.
    Aid Workers go Mobile
    Communication Initiave
    ICT4 Development
    Maldives Learning Centres
    Poor Africans use Mobiles/Cellphones
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    6th. Feb 8.55 am SaaS Web Dev 2.0 Coghead looks interesting, (and maybe Caspio is better).
    Coghead uses Adobe's AIR and its DIY Web Application Development Platform is hosted by Amazon Cloud.
    Maybe I can use Coghead to develop the Order Processing Application for New Iberia, Louisiana.

    I created an account on Coghead, with userid=bw/m3, to build a CMI !!!.
    Caspio Web Site
    Coghead
    Coghead and Amazon Cloud
    Coghead Blog
    Coghead Member Sign In
    CrunchBase Review
    Gigaom Blog
    Guy Kawasaki's Blog
    TechCrunch Blog (1)
    TechCrunchBlog (2)

    Adobe's Air
    Adobe's Flex
    Amazon Web Services (AWS)
    DevX on Amazon's AWS
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url

    url
    url
    url
    url
    6th. Feb 8.30 am World Tour Let's go to Malaco Records in Jackson, Mississippi.
    Itinerary is Malaysia, Vietanm, Australi, Hawaii, Vancouver, Seattle, Ottawa and back to London.
    I will be talking
    about "A Global View of Enterprise Data Management"
    and "A Toolkit for Building PDA Applications for a Global Market".
    Malaco Records
    Malaco Story
    url
    url
    6th. Feb 8.00 am World Tour "A Universal Data platform for Mobile Applications"
    Sub-title 'A Review of plans from Amazon,Google, Microsoft and Salesforce'.
    I signed up with AWS as dba+aws/m333
    Presentation :-
  • Past (Hastings)
  • Present (Cisco,Ealing,etc)
  • Future (Amazon WS on DBA,'DQ-as-a-Svc' from Boomi'.'Data-as-a-Svc' from CyberSavvy)
  • Amazon SimpleDB
    Amazon Web Services
    Google's Android Challenge
    MS Data Platform
    MS Startup Zone (UK)
    MS Startup Zone Web Site
    MS Startup Zone Press Release
    Salesforce Challenge
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    6th. Feb 8.30 am Louie Free Security Training.
  • SIA-approved qualification
  • "NOCN Level 2 Award in Security Guarding is a 4-day training course designed for people wishing to work as security officers."
  • Phone 020 7 501 5578 or 0207 501 5363
  • Email stproject@lambethcollege.ac.uk
  • Email Lambeth College
    Lambeth College Web Site
    url
    url
    6th. Feb 8.00 am Chairman No Sayings of Chairman No :-
  • 'MidgetLand' small room in Bath Hotel.
  • 'Minimalist Santa' for no Christmas Tree.
  • 'Over-zealous' from a simply country girl from a small village in Malaysia.
  • Sardines with 'Fin-and-Mouth'
  •    
    2nd. Feb 10.30 pm DB Designers Hers a Web Site that says it compares a wide range of products and services in the UK. Compare.eu.com
    Compare DB Designers
    Compare Web Development
    url
    url
    url
    2nd. Feb 12.15 pm Native People Norlia created a Ning Community for Native People.
    it's aimed at Orang Asli, Australian Aborigines, Canadian Indians, Vietnamese and other Groups.
    Native People Community url
    1st. Feb 11.55 pm Data Platform The announcement of their Million Dollar Challenge from Salesforce adds another alternative to the choice of Data Platform. Google's Challenge
    Microsoft Startup Zone
    Salesforce Challenge
    url
    url
    url
    1st. Feb 11.50 pm Data-as-a-Service I like the idea of today's 'Cloud Computing' announcement about Amazon Web Services. Amazon Web Services url
    1st. Feb 11.30 pm Tom Kan I bumped into Tom Kan in the Okawari Japanese restaurant. Tom's Web Site url
    1st. Feb 11.30 pm MyWire I had a request for a Database from someone using an email address at (Armstrong) MyWire, which looks interesting - it offers 'Users Radio Channels' MyWire Web Site
    Users Radio Channels
    url
    31st. Jan 8.55 am Mashups and GIS An interesting article in today's British Guardian newspaper discusses open mapping data in the context of a Web Site called MySociety which offers "More Travel Maps" as a way to work out where you can live in and around London to minimise your daily commute. It also uses the Land Registry and Open Streets Map. Land Registry
    More Travel Maps
    My Society
    Open Streetmap
    url
    url
    url
    url
    31st. Jan 8.45 am Money I need a way to make Reminders or 'always on top' for things like Metacafe, which is similar to YouTube,except that it pays people who contributors which are popular with viewers. Maybe I should send in some Database Design Tutorials. MetaCafe
    Database Tutorial
    url
    url
    31st. Jan 8.30 am World Tour Google for "Data Dictionaries" and "free ETL"
    Possible Titles for Enterprise Data Mgt include
  • 'A Toolkit for Enterprise Data Management'.
  • 'Data Dictionaries - Past. Present and Future'

    Possible Titles for Applications Development include
  • 'A Data Architecture for Mobile Applications'.
  • 'Progress with MyLife - Device and Database support'
  •    
    30th. Jan 11.45 pm World Tour CyberSavvy offers Data-as-a-Service called DataPlace. CyberSavvy
    CyberSavvy Data Place
    MS CyberSavvy Case Study
    url
    url
    url
    30th. Jan 11.30 pm World Tour A 'Data Platform' is a key concept.
    Also look into Microsoft 'RDA' (Remote Data Access ?).
    Google images for "Data Platform"
    Mobile Development
    MS Data Platform Insider
    url
    url
    url
    30th. Jan 11.00 pm GoDaddy I saw a mention of GoDaddy in Wired magazine as though it is something special.
    When I check out the GoDaddy Web Site it doesn't look very special. Then I came across Web.com which is a great name which is completely wasted.
    And finally, VideoJug, which offers advice and information across a wide range of topics.
    GoDaddy
    VideoJug
    Web.com
    Wired Magazine
    url
    url
    url
    29th. Jan 8.30 pm Arabic Here's a Web Site that looks promising for my wife to improve her Arabic languages skills. Modern Language Centre url
    28th. Jan 8.30 am SQL Server I was looking for Best Practice in loading data into an SQL Server Database. Tim recommended I look at Scott Guthrie's Blog, which discusses Data Transformation.
    Tim's full response was (of course) very useful :-
    Integration Services (SSIS) is Microsoft's recommended approach to data import in SQL2005 - unfortunately, it isn't available in the 2005 Express Edition. With SQL Server 2000, Management Studio came with Data Transformation Services (DTS).
    I like DTS and in some ways, I prefer the simplicity of it over SSIS. You might want to consider the SQL Server publishing toolkit mentioned in Scott's Blog.
    It's mainly designed for web developers but the SQL scripting in it would work for anyone who has to move data from one server to another.
    BCP is still an integral part of the SQL Server toolkit and widely used even today.
    IMHO, Access is the easiest method of loading data into SQL.
    Scott's Blog url
    27th. Jan 8.30 pm PDA Proposal Google launched Android and the Android Developers' Challenge (some Assembly required in Java). The Microsoft Startup Zone was launched by Steve Ballmer in both the US and the UK. Android
    AndroidBoard (Forum)
    Android on Wikipedia
    MS Startup Zone
    MSDN Architecture
    MSDN Mobile Data Architecture
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    27th. Jan 8.30 pm Music The Blind Boys of Alabama have a new CD out, called 'Down in New Orleans'. The video on their Web Site is just great and is hosted by Nimbit, which could be very useful if you are looking for ways to sell your music over the Internet.
    Today (January 27th) Nimbit is displaying the new CD by Robert Plan and Alison Krauss, which has got great reviews. You can listen to a 30 second sample of each track - and I think I'll buy the CD.
    BrightCove is interesting, but has probably been overtaken by YouTube.
    Blind Boys Web Site
    Blind Boys in Wikipedia
    BrightCove.tv
    Nimbit
    url
    url
    url
    26th. Jan 10.00 pm Music and Life A few years ago, I saw a great TV Commercial featuring the Lambada.
    It's great way to spend your life - dancing in the sunshine by the sea surrounded by beautiful people.
    Lambada on YouTube url
    26th. Jan 8.30 pm My Life The Center for Digital Futures (see below) has International Partners at academic Institutions all around the world, including Canada, Macau, (a Portuguese-owned Territory in China), Singapore and the United Aarab Emirates. Center for the Digital Future
    Partner in Australia
    Partner in Canada
    Partner in Macau
    Partner in Singapore
    Partner in the UAE
    Partner in UK
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    26th. Jan 7.30 pm My Life I bought a thought-provoking new book called the Big Switch by Nicholas Carr which mentioned the Annenburg Center for Digital Futures. Big Switch Book
    Center for the Digital Future
    Nicholas Carr on Wikipedia
    url
    url
    url
    26th. Jan 9.00 am 2DoList
  • Add Index to Site Cleaning Report (takes 2 minutes)
  • Check on installing upgrade to Dezign
  • SQL to add days to create Schedules in SQL Server -
    - SELECT ID As Cleaning_ID,Sched_Cleaning_Date,DATEADD(dd,7,Sched_Cleaning_Date) FROM Cleaning_Schedule
  • Use Dezign to generate data
  • Datanamic Data Generator
    Report Login
    url
    url
    26th. Jan 8.30 am WIP Boomi - SaaS - Online Data Integration using MDM for Customer Data Integration -
  • CMI/CDI
  • Data Validation
  • Data Mapping
  • Data Transformation
  • Boomi
    Boomi Login
    Customer Data Model
    DBA Best Practice Manual
    Microsoft Database Schemas
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    26th. Jan 8.00 am Music An item in tpoday's newspaper mentions Wamato, which is an all-girl group from an African country called Guinea. It gives a Web Site for Sterns Music, but this has no references for Wamato.
    However, Google is much more sucessful, giving me web sites where I can download MP3 tracks for Wamato.
    This is pretty remarkable because Wamato has been around since the sixties, when they called themesleves 'The Women's Orchestara of the Guinean Militia' !!!
    Sterns Music
    Wamato on eMusic
    Wamato on mTraks
    url
    url
    url
    23rd. Jan 11.00 pm Widgets Heading goes here ... WidgetBox
    Martin Luther King Widget
    Martin Luther King in Wikipedia
    url
    url
    url
    20th. Jan 9.00 pm Microsoft Dev Microsoft have been very active in pushing forward the frontiers of Development Methodologies. I am preparing a Road Map for Microsoft Development Tools to produce a composite Review of Best Practice. MS Dev Approach url
    20th. Jan 11.00 am SaaS A consulting organisation called THINK Strategies provides a couple of useful SaaS-related Directories, one on Managed Service Providers and the other on SaaS. Managed Services
    THINK Strategies
    SaaS Directory
    SaaS Jobs
    url
    url
    url
    url
    19th. Jan 8.30 pm My Wife One of my wife's favourite TV shows is the 'Dog Whisperer'.
    It's very entertaining to watch, partly because of what Cesar Millan says, which includes the idea that he is training the dog owners not the dogs.
    He is smart to identify that one reason women like dogs is as targets of affection, but as he says :-
  • 'You can't rescitate unstable men with affection'.
  • Cesar Millan on Wikipedia
    Cesar Millan Web Site
    National Geographic TV Show
    url
    url
    url
    19th. Jan 8.00 pm Fiji I met my wife in Fiji and have always had a soft spot for the place. Tribe Wanted url
    19th. Jan 7.00 pm My Wife My wife enjoys using her Hula Hoop and was saddened to learnt that the inventor, Richard Knerr, died yesterday in his birthplace, San Gabriel, California. Hula Hoop on Wikipedia url
    19th. Jan 8.30 am MyLife How important am I (on the Internet) ? Garlik will tell me by evaluating my QDOS Garlik url
    19th. Jan 8.00 am Art Here's a couple of online Art Galleries with local connections Fountain Gallery
    Visionary Art
    url
    url
    13th. Jan 11.30 am Data Quality The Data Warehousing Institute (TDWI) and Wikipedia are good references to compare. Data Dict from Base 1
    Data Dict from Wikipedia
    Data Quality from Wikipedia
    TDWI on Enterprise DQ
    url
    url
    url
    url
    13th. Jan 10.00 am Canada Maybe I'll rent an Off-season Cottage back in Canada where I used to live. Canadian Rentals url
    12th. Jan 00.30 am Music Here's a great YouTube Video featuring a Gorilla and Phil Collins which was a commercial for Cadbury's chocolate. Gorilla on YouTube url
    11th. Jan 11.30 pm DB-Development I have been thinking about how to achieve achieving Productivity and FlexibilityApplications Development and it's obvious that I have to focus on Database-Driven Development. Scott Ambler (and maybe Martin Fowler) write good relevant stuff. Agile Data
    Agile Data Best Practice
    url
    url
    9th. Jan 9.30 pm Work IT Business Edge has a good-to-read article saying 'SaaS boosts CRM'. Saas boosts CRM url
    8th. Jan 8.30 am Databases Steven R (a new member of my Database Answers Community) told me he is developing a Database-driven Web Site using Microsoft's Sharepoint.
    This is an interesting idea that I must look into.
    Sharepoint Designer
    Sharepoint on Microsoft
    Sharepoint on Wikipedia
    url
    url
    url
    8th. Jan 8.00 am MyLife Today's news headlines include an item telling us that attention to four key aspects can extend your life by 14 years :-
    1. Cut down on Alcohol.
    2. Eat Fruit and Vegetables.
    3. Give up smoking.
    4. Take regular Exercise

    Wow !!!
       
    6th. Jan 10.00 am Work I put all my current documents in a new Directory called WIP. I copy this to the USB stick as necessary.    
    5th. Jan 8.30 pm Music Here's a YouTube video for a great new single from Leann Rhimes
    Leann Rhimes
    YouTube
    url
    url
    5th. Jan 6.30 pm Wine I came across a wine with the great name of 'Little Penguin', and another called 'Chat-en-Oeuf' ('Cat on Egg'), and then a Web Site devoted to unusual Wine Labels. Chat en Oeuf
    Little Penguin Wine
    Unusual Wine Labels
    url
    url
    url
    5th. Jan 11.30 am Databases There is a Conference on Data Governance in London at the beginning of February. The theme is 'Practical Approaches and Success Stories'. Data Gov. Conference url
    5th. Jan 11.30 am Holidays The Evening Standard has an article about In-Spa, which is an up-market chain of Spas which offers 'healthy, inspiring holidays'. These are geared to healthy breaks, featuring yoga, de-tox diets, plenty of exercise and NO Alcohol, In-Spa Resorts url
    3rd. Jan 10.30 pm MySQL I heard about an Application Generator for MySQL called Appgini. Appgini url
    3rd. Jan 9.30 pm Salesforce Salesforce is holding its DreamForce Developers Convention in London in May, 2008. DreamForce (London) url
    3rd. Jan 9.00 pm Social Networks The English Telegraph newspaper reports that the three most popular Networks are Bebo, Flickr and Facebook. They report this only to add that the fourth (in the UK) is the Senior Citizens Network called Saga Zone, which is a recent addition to the Web Site for Saga, a well-established site for the over 50's.
    Bebo says it is 'a social media network where friends share their lives and explore great entertainment'.
    Flickr says almost 2,00 photos are uploaded every minute,2 million geotagged a last month (so you can search for Photos of your favorite place) and offers translations in Japanese, German, French, Italian and Portugese.
    Facebook says it 'is a social utility that connects you with the people around you'.
    Saga Zone says 'Saga Zone is a new online community where you create a whole new social network of friends and easily stay in touch from the comfort of your home'.
    1) Bebo
    2) Flickr
    3) Facebook
    4) Saga Zone
    url
    url
    url
    url
    3rd. Jan 6.30 pm Agile Dev Agile Development is very important, and here are some useful links. Agile Alliance
    Agile Data
    Agile Modelling
    Refactoring Databases (Book)
    Refactoring Databases (Video)
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    3rd. Jan 6.00 pm Education The annual British Education Technology Show ('the world's largest Educational Technology Event') is scheduled for 9th - 12th January. BETT Show url
    2nd. Jan 8.30 am Wales The UK Independent newspaper had an article about walking in North Wales and mentioned the Bodysgallen Hotel Bodysgallen Hotel url
    1st. Jan '08 9.00 pm Money The UK Independent newspaper had an interesting article about a Web Site called MetaCafe which is similar to YouTube,except that it pays people who contributors which are popular with viewers. Maybe I should send in some Tutorials. MetaCafe
    Tutorial on Creating Databases
    url
    url
    1st. Jan '08 5.30 pm Holidays We arrived home after a very enjoyable stay at a the Orles Barn Hotel in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire.
    A warm welcome was provided by Richard and Kelly Bailey, who run the Hotel in a very professional and friendly manner.
    They have recently taken it over and I am sure they will do very well in the future.
    Orles Barn Hotel url
    NEW YEAR BEGINS HERE
    2DoList Tasks (0) Book for Cirque du Soleil in January phone 0870 380 0020 or 0845 401 5008.
    'Ask for the Tapis Rouge VIP Experience'. (1) Email Karim (2) MLB Proposal to Microsoft StartUpZone. (3) DB Design kids Lifecycle (4) MDM Master Class (5) Tutorial for Beginners. (6) Look at Robin's Reports
    Ticketmaster
    Vareiki
    Vareiki Tickets
    url
    url
    url
    World Tour (1) Std Data Platform Think about defining a Standard Data Platform incorporating Master Data Management,Google's OpenSocial, Microsoft MDM and SalesForce. DBA BP Manuals
    Google's OpenSocial
    Master Data Mgt
    url
    url
    url
    World Tour (2) Itinerary Draft Itinerary to be finalised in conjunction with Microsoft - Egypt, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia, Hawaii, Vancouver, Ottawa, London. Microsoft Morocco
    Microsoft Vietnam
    url
    url
    World Tour (3) Presentation Draft Best Practice in Applications Development, using my DBA Manuals On-demand utility.
    Material will be developed for MDM, including RS Reports.
    Templates will be created based on Software Factories using Microsoft Technology, and vendors such as Telerik.
    Agile Development will be key.
    The current Business Week magazine has an article about Google and IBM collaborating in research into "Cloud Computing".
    David Hay's book on Data Model Patterns might be relevant.
    Agile DB Techniques
    Data Model Patterns
    Google's Hadoop
    Microsoft Malaysia Tech-Ed
    Microsoft Malaysia Training
    Microsoft Patterns
    Microsoft Software Factories
    Telerik
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    29th. Dec 11.00 am "Best Of" Last night I watched Pulp Fiction for the second time in two days. At least, I got lucky and caught one of the best scenes in which Samuel Jackson does his speech where he quotes from Ezekiel 25:17 - "The Path of the Righteous Man Is Beset on All Sides by the Inequities of the Selfish and the Tyranny of Evil Men."
    This reminds me of too many people I have had to work with in past and present incarnations.
    In the course of tracking down this quotation, I came across an interesting Web Site called "Best Of".
    Best Of
    'Path of the Righteous Man'
    url
    url
    28th. Dec 9.00 pm Web Site Designers I came across an interesting company called Ammonet based in Switzerland.
    They do Content Management Systems and Web Site design.
    Ammonet Portfolio url
    28th. Dec 10.00 am Reporting Svcs I had a problem I didn't understand and an error message that said :-
    "Index was outside the bounds of the array." I found the fix by searching on the Microsoft Technet Web Site. It was a simple fix, involving deleting or renaming the .rdl.data file. RS then recreates the file without the problem.
    Technet url
    27th. Dec 8.30 am DQ Presentation Do vendors offer Free Trial ?
    My experience to be used as Case Studies starts with Barclays in Hastings and ends with PDAs, also Governance, User Involvement, Consensus, Top-Level endorsement, translated into working-level actions and deliverables.
    Essentials,(based on Barclays in Hastings,includes User Involvement, Business Rules and Iterations,(Bus Rules with equivalent SQL.
    Wikipedia has an article on Data Quality (DQ), saying "There are a number of theoretical frameworks for understanding data quality", including one related to Customer Service.
    Gartner's Magic Quadrant for DQ Tools inclides Trillium, Business Objects, DataFlux IBM and Informatica.
    Talend offers a unique FREE SaaS Data Integration Suite, which is definitely worth a look.Talend will offer a low-end entry-point to counterbalance DataFlux at the top end from the Magic Quadrant.
    Datactics
    Datanomic
    DQ Presentation
    Gartner (May 2006)
    Gartner on DQ Tools
    Gartner's Magic Quad for DQ Tools
    Talend Integration Suite
    Talend SaaS On-Demand
    Wikipedia on Customer Svc
    Wikipedia on DQ
    url
    url
    url
    jpg
    url
    url
    27th. Dec 9.30 am Social Networking A recent issue of Business Week had an interesting article on the future of TV, and mentioned Current.com, which lets you define your own TV Station, and then share it with your friends. Current.com url
    24th. Dec 8.30 pm Wine Today's paper reports good news with a Red Wine Diet by Roger Corder, featuring a wine called Madiran from the South of France. Madiran is supposed to be good for the heart and 'a wine that is actually good for you' !!!. Madiran Wine
    Red Wine Diet (Book)
    Red Wine Diet (Cover)
    url
    jpg
    24th. Dec 10.00 am Ealing I found a discussion about Barnes Pikle in Ealing. Barnes Pikle
    Ealing Today
    url
    url
    24th. Dec 9.00 am Music In the Gym, I heard what I thought was a great track called 'Heater by Samim' (a group I never heard of), but when I listened to it on MP3 Download in Amazon, I realised that it is not my taste at all.
    I can reach Louie by calling Siberia 459 915.
    'Aman Iman' by Tinariwen looks like a CD my wife might like because it's a 'Slab of gritty Saharan space-rock from Tuareg nomad soul rebels'.
    Heater by Samim
    Tinariwen CD
    Tinariwen Musicians
    url
    url
    jpg
    16th. Dec 7.30 pm MDM MetaMatrix has been acquired by Red Hat, the Linux people. Red Hat url
    16th. Dec 6.30 pm Business Week The current issue quotes somebody from Google saying :-
    'It's far easier to to beg for forgiveness [afterward]s than to ask for permission [before]'.
       
    16th. Dec 5.30 pm PDAs The current issue of PDA Essentials magazine reports the results of the recent Awards, sponsored by Expansys, to celebrate the best and most innovative products of the past year,
    HTC won the Manfacturer of the Year, as well as the Readers' Award.
    Expansys
    HTC
    url
    url
    15th. Dec 10.30 pm MyLife I saw a reference to Dan yr Ogof Caves in the Brecon Beacons in South Wales in the Telegraph. My favourite candles are Yankee Candles, which are available in the LongAcre Garden Center.
    LoveFilm with the Sunday Times are offering a free trial of DVD Rental.
    Caves of Wales
    Love Film
    Times Online
    Yankee Candles (UK)
    Yankee Candles (US)
    url
    url
    url
    15th. Dec 6.30 pm Travel I came across an interesting Telegraph newspaper Poll of the 21 Wonders in the World, and a related 7 Wonders in the World.
    One of them is the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, which looks simply beautiful, especially in the winter.
    7 Wonders in the World
    21 Wonders in the World
    Neuschwanstein in Summer
    Neuschwanstein in Winter
    url
    url
    jpg
    jpg
    15th. Dec 5.30 pm Google Google announces plans to launch a rival to Wikipedia.
    You have to like a company whose slogan is 'Do No Evil'.
    Google
    Google's Plans
    TechCrunch Blog
    Wikipedia
    url
    url
    url
    url
    12th. Dec 10.30 pm Tutorials Here are some interesting Sites - one offering FREE Tutorials on Web Development, and Steve Hoberman's Data Modelling Scorecard. Data Mapping Tool
    Steve Hoberman
    W3 Schools
    url
    url
    url
    9th. Dec 10.30 pm Holidays Today's Sunday Times (UK) newspaper also recommends a couple of hotels in KL - 'the sumptuous carcosa Seri Negara' ($400/night), and the more affordable Hotel Maya, (from $200/night). Carcosa Seri Negara
    GHM Hotels
    Hotel Maya
    TripAdvisor Map
    url
    url
    url
    url
    9th. Dec 10.00 pm Gadgets Today's Sunday Times (UK) newspaper mentioned a couple of interesting things - one was a USB DVB-T stick (£50/$100) which would turn your laptop into a TV set. The other was a sleeve (£25/$50) for the laptop to protect it when you go thru airport security. Laptop sleeve
    USB TV Stick
    url
    url
    8th. Dec 1.00 pm MyLife Wow !!! Escape Artist
    Escape to Suriname
    Work anywhere
    url
    url
    url
    8th. Dec 12 noon Thinkers In a Forrester Report on Model-Driven Development I cam across a reference to an [IT] Architecture Journal, which describes itself as "... an independent platform for free thinkers and practitioners of IT architecture". Architecture Journal
    Forrester Rpt
    url
    url
    url
    8th. Dec 11.30 am MyLife An update on the SenseCam was posted on a Blog by Richard Banks of Microsoft.
    Funding is available from Microsoft for external research Projects.
    Digital Memories
    Research Funding
    SenseCam Blog
    SenseCam Project
    url
    url
    url
    url
    8th. Dec 11.00 am Applications Dev I have been thinking about programming languages lately in the context of Best Practice for Applications Development. Jack Schofield in this week's TechnologyGuardian, had a useful comment on how to decide which language to get started with. He says '... the daddy in the home and emerging programmer field is Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition.'
    Borland's Delphi is a Visual Pascal and is worth a look.
    Blog on Languages
    Learning Delhi
    Visual Basic
    url
    url
    url
    8th. Dec 10.30 am Social Enterprises The UK Government has set up a Web Site giving advice to anyone starting a Social Enteprise, which they define as 'a business with primarily social objectives'. Try Social Enterprise url
    6th. Dec 8.00 pm eLearning The Independent's supplement on Education & Careers today has an ad for the Innovation Unit, which "promotes innovation to improve education and chlildren's services". Innovation Unit url
    6th. Dec 7.00 pm eLearning London University offers a very wide range of courses, and has a prestigious name. London University Distance Learning url
    1st. Dec 10.30 am MyLife The (UK) Telegraph newspaper reported progress at the Microsoft Cambridge Research Center (also in the UK) with a trials of a camera called SenseCam to keep a 'pictorial diary' that helps Alzheimer's sufferers.
    The Trials were led by Emma Berry, a clinical neuropsychologist.
    Wikipedia provides useful background.
    MyLifeBits Data Model
    MyLifeBits Research
    SenseCam
    Wikipedia Entry
    url
    url
    url
    url
    1st. Dec 10.00 am Agile Dev A company called Conchango is active in Agile Development. Conchango
    Scrum Master
    url
    url
    1st. Dec 9.00 am Family Trees A new Web Site called FindMyPast.com is launched in the UK with records foir Burials going back to 1538. FindMyPast url
    1st. Dec 10.00 am Conservation I received a request for a Database from an organisation called simply 'Conservation.org' !!! Conservation.org url
    24th. Nov 11.30 pm eLearning The Development Gateway reports on a Global Platform for Web-Based Learning. DevGateway
    OEB News Portal
    UNEP GEO Data Portal
    UNEP Grid
    url
    url
    url
    url
    24th. Nov 8.30 am MyLife Here's a couple of unrelated URLs -
    (1) Earlier this week, the London Evening Standard newspaper had an article about an Australian couple (Greg and Jan Wilkins) who have have moved to an 'e-village' in Italy where they run a computer consultancy (WebTide) from their home.
    (2) Surrey County Council is (maybe) my local County.
    Colletta Italian e-Village
    Surrey County Council.
    WebTide
    url
    url
    url
    23rd. Nov 11.15 pm ITIL ITIL is the 'IT Infrastructure Library' and maybe I should include ITIL in the scope of topics I cover. Wikipedia says "ITIL is a [UK] set of concepts and techniques for managing IT infrastructure, development, and operations." ITIL Certification
    ITIL Web Site
    Wikipedia Entry
    url
    url
    url
    22nd. Nov 8.15 am My Profile I think I will specialise in advising Local Government on Best Practise, supplemented with Case Studies and Vendor Evaluations. I will have a particular knowledge and focus on CRM, Mobile Applications, Database topics and Microsoft. CRM Partner Support url
    22nd. Nov 8.30 am Asset Mgt Asset Management is an interesting area where Mobile solutions can help.
    There's a good article in a magazine called 'Integrated Solutions' that I should subscribe to.
    Asset Mgt Article
    Integrated Solutions Mag
    url
    url
    22nd. Nov 8.00 am Vendors Here is a list of Vendors in Enterprise Data Management.
    Aspective is a local Microsoft CRM Partner recommended by Tim Hoban.
    Dexterra specialise in Mobile Applications.
    Aspective

    Ab Initio
    Dexterra
    url

    url
    url
    22nd. Nov 7.30 am Microsoft CRM is an area that I like so I should look into Microsoft Partner Support for Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
    As well as Mobile Web Development, and the Mobile Application Development Toolkit.
    Application Architecture
    CRM Partner Support
    Mobile Web Development
    Mobility Partner Programme
    url
    url
    url
    url
    19th. Nov 8.30 pm Databases Watching the Dragon's Den last night I started thinking about getting rich through being smart.
    A while ago I signed up with Microsoft as a Partner specialising in Mobile applications.
    This builds on my Microsoft associations through my page on the Microsoft Web Site and my collaboration in their MyLifeBits Research Project in San Francisco.
    I have been made aware of the new Microsoft Startup Zone, and the Startup Accelerator Program in the UK.
    Blog on Free Software
    How to Succeed
    MS Accelerator Program (UK)
    MS Startup Zone
    url
    url
    url
    url
    18th. Nov 10.00 pm Development Aware IM might be a contender for high-productivity Application Development. Aware IM url
    18th. Nov 6.30 pm Databases Mindtree have done some work on CMG Data Modelling and have an office in the UK on Park House, 111, Uxbridge Road, phone 020-8832-1160. Mindtree url
    18th. Nov 6.00 pm Mashups We went to Bath where I managed to find a book to buy at Waterstone's entitled "How to do Everything with Web 2.0 Mashups"
    It covers Google Mapshas an accompanying Web Site where I can download the sofware.
    Book on Amazon Book on McGraw-Hill
    Author's Download
    Waterstones
    url
    url
    url
    url
    18th. Nov 5.30 pm MyLife We stayed in 'MidgetLand' in a very agreeable Hotel in Bath.    
    18th. Nov 5.00 pm MyLife Today's Telegraph newspaper has a great headline "Goodbye computer, hello mobile phone". It describes TruTap, which describes itself as "a free global messaging service which lets you take your social life everywhere you go... on your phone". You download software to your mobile/cell that will automatically tap into Flickr,with FaceBook and MySpace promised by the end of 2007. TruTap

    Bluepulse
    Migg33
    url

    url
    url
    17th. Nov 9.00 am Databases I must check out what Zoho offers in online Databases(registered as dba+zoho@gmail). Zoho url
    url
    17th. Nov 8.00 am Music The latest BIG THING on YouTube is a Crank dance Video by Soulja Boy which has been seen by 16,000,000 people !!! Soulja Boy Video
    Soulja Boy Web Site
    url
    15th. Nov 11.00 pm Mashups Mashups are going to be big business,and and have a lot in common with Data Integration and thinking about Architectures.
    Maybe I should enter the Business Mashup Challenge with my MLB work.
    Blog by IT Business Edge
    Business Mashup Challenge
    Data Integration and Mashups
    Mashup Camp
    Mashup Layers
    Serena
    Test Drive a Mashup
    Wiki entry for Mashup Camp
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    13th. Nov 10.00 pm Media Maybe I should check out the Enterprise Software Newsletter which was mentioned in the Herald Tribune. Enterprise Software
    Salesforce
    url
    url
    11th. Nov 11.55 pm Salesforce I started again with Salesforce.com and Business Object for "BI On demand" Business Objects Ondemand
    Salesforce VisualForce Tutorial
    url
    url
    11th. Nov 10.30 pm MyWork Here's a neat, new, very portable PC from Asus and is CHEAP PC at £220 or about $500. It currently runs on Linux (ie UNIX) and will offer Microsoft Windows by the end of 2007. Asus Eee PC (UK)
    Asus Eee PC (US)
    url
    url
    11th. Nov 11.45 am MyLife Here's an independent publishing company called Greenbooks, established in the UK for 20 years, which was mentioned in the Telegraph newspaper in the UK.
    They produce books on a wide range of environmental and cultural issues, including Books in Welsh !!!
    Books in Welsh
    Greenbooks Web Site
    url
    url
    11th. Nov 11.30 am MyLife Here's a company called Tusting, also mentioned in the Telegraph, which was established in England in 1875, that makes good quality leather goods. Tusting Web Site url
    11th. Nov 10.30 am MyLife Here's a Swiss Railways Watch that would make a good present for less than £90/$180. Swiss Railways Watch
    Swiss Watch Web Sute
    url
    url
    10th. Nov 1.00 pm Blogs Here's a paid-for Blog, sponsored by Reporters without Borders Blog from RSF url
    10th. Nov 9.30 am Holidays Alkaheel in Dubai looks interesting and well-designed - right now the Site is 'Under Construction'. Alkaheel url
    10th. Nov 9.00 am Maps At last, the UK Ordnance Survey is waking up to reality and trying to compete with Google Maps. They are helping developers build mashups using OS Maps. OS OpenSource
    OS Web Site
    url
    url
    10th. Nov 8.30 am MashUps Google has launched OpenSpace, which seems to based on MIT Open Source work.
    Silicon.com has some other interesting articles, such as Web 2.0 and Public Sector.
    Google OpenSpace
    Web 2.0 and Public Sector
    What are MashUps ?
    url
    url
    url
    10th. Nov 9.30 am Databases The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) is in need of Database advice. CWDC Web Site
    CWDC Email
    CWDC Inivtation to Tender
    url
    url
    url
    10th. Nov 8.00 am MyLife 2DoList for the Weekend :- The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) is in need of Database advice.
  • Think about what Earl and Robin want
  • Update mashups with Google OpenSpace
  • Saga offers interesting holidays.
  • CWDC
    Email CWDC
    Google OpenSpace
    Saga Holidays
    url
    url
    url
    url
    7th. Nov 8.00 am Maps An interesting program on TV about Georgia (the Georgia that used to be part of Soviet Union, not the State in the US).
    Someone called Piers Lewis (British-born but educated in the US) and Curious Software (in Ealing !!!) featured largely
    curious Software
    Piers Lewis on IMDB
    url
    url
    4th. Nov 11.00 pm SalesForce Things don't work the way they should.
    I think I logged in as info@bw/m3 but no good.
    VisualForce url
    3rd. Nov 11.00 pm Development The UN, Google and Cisco have teamed up to create a Web Site to monitor progress in meeting the UN's Millenium Development Goals. MDG Monitor url
    3rd. Nov 9.00 pm MyWork As part of my current Project on Master Data Management, I checked out the IT Director and IT-Analysis Sites. It seems IBM is now taking great interest in MDM. Bloor on MDM
    IBM and MDM
    IT Analysis.com
    IT Director.com
    url
    url
    url
    url
    3rd. Nov 8.30 pm Holidays We enjoyed our trip to Oslo in Norway on Sept 2nd and maybe Hurtigruten would be good for Christmas.
    They work with Climate Care to help reduce Carbon Emissions.
    Climate Care
    Hurtigruten
    url
    url
    3rd. Nov 8.00 pm MyWork I saw an interesting Requests for Database consulting from the Childrens Workforce Development Council (CWDC) in the UK.
    Some of my Children's Databases will be relevant.
    CWDC
    National DB
    Request Tender
    url
    url
    url
    2nd. Nov 8.00 am MyLife Guitar strings for my wife can be obtained from Hooters in Windsor, (behind Daniels).
    An interesting Web Site is www.rabbitandcrow.com.
    Rabbit and Crow
    Special Placesa to Stay
    url
    url
    29th. Oct 8.00 am Dynamic SQL I got a very useful reply from Lisa Nicholls to my Question about Dynamic SQL for a Data Mart. Lisa's Blog
    My Question
    url
    url
    27th. Oct 11.00 am Mobile Working Here are some Case Studies on Mobile Working from Microsoft. Case Studies url
    26th. Oct 10.00 pm Salesforce.com Here's a Blog from Intelligent Enterprise, saying [Salesforce] approaches Microsoft and IBM in influence in the [SaaS] industry, perhaps surpassing them in some areas",and an interesting insider's view on SaaS/Salesforce from Appirio.
    A Blog says that Google Enterprise might also be relevant.
    Salesforce has "AppExchange Mobile" and says "More and more, organizations are arming their field sales representatives with mobile access to CRM and SFA applications."
    Appexchange Mobile
    Appirio's Philosophy
    Google Enteprise
    Intelligent Enterprise Blog
    Salesforce Mobile Blog
    VisualForce
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    25th. Oct 10.00 pm IT for Education Microsoft has a Faculty Connection program for Educators, which they say is "Advancing the art of teaching technology". This includes teaching 'Software Entrepreneurship'. Faculty Connection
    Software Entrepreneurship
    url
    url
    25th. Oct 9.30 pm Development The Mobile Active Web Site is a resource for activists using mobile technology worldwide. Mobile Active url
    25th. Oct 9.30 pm Money I signed up as an Amazon Associate for the Books on my Site using dba+amazon with Gmail,(databanswe-20). Amazon Associate
    Gmail
    url
    url
    24th. Oct 11.00 pm LocalGov TV Check out LocalGov TV and Brent's e-Government Directory. Brent's Directory
    Customer Data Integration
    Flexible Learning
    Local Gov TV
    url
    url
    url
    url
    24th. Oct 10.30 pm SalesForce I made some progress by registering as bdimple_at_myway and looked at a 'Deep Dive' presentation on VisualForce.
    SalesForce is also keen on Mobile working.
    Apex Dev Network
    Apex Mobile Blog
    Apex Wiki Database Services
    Mobile Platform
    Mobile SalesForce
    Salesforce Developer
    VisualForce Demo
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    23rd. Oct 10.30 pm SalesForce This morning I went to an interesting joint Presentation from SalesForce.com and Business Objects.
    Two useful contacts are Woodson Martin, VP, EMEA Marketing of SalesForce.com (based in Camberley) and Fraser McKay, Director, On-Demand Solutions of Business Objects,(based in France). I described my plans to create a Presentation on Strategic Customer Data Management and building a demonstration using SalesForce and Business Objects
    They both liked my ideas so I promised to send them both my plans.
    SalesForce.com Videos appear on YouTube and Pervasive works well with SalesForce for data integration.
    Fraser McKay
    Woodson Martin
    Pervasive
    YouTube
    email
    email
    url
    url
    22nd. Oct 11.00 pm Web 2.0 Here's a report on the recent Web 2.0 Conference. It says all the young Googleytes have gone off to make their own fortunes by getting involved in Web 2.0 Startups. Web 2.0 Conference url
    21st. Oct 11.30 pm MyLife I must check out iGoogle to see if it really is a Personalised Home Page that could act as my Portal on the World.
    Or whether I should design my own, starting with my 'Database Answers Community' from Ning.
    DBA Community
    iGoogle (UK)
    IGoogle (US)
    Ning
    url
    url
    url
    url
    21st. Oct 11.00 am My Tutorials So far, 34 people ahve looked at my YouTube Tutorial on 'Understanding a Database Schema'. My Tutorial url
    21st. Oct 11.00 am YouTube Here's Smokey Robinson singing 'Tell me Tomorrow' !!! Smokey Robinson url
    21st. Oct 10.30 am Orang Asli YouTube offers a 'Non Profits' facility that I can use for my Orang Asli work. YouTube for Non Profits url
    21st. Oct 10.15 am Databases I used to read a great magazine called Intelligent Enterprise. I can't get the magazine any more in England but I guess the Web Site makes up for it. It seems to be relatred to TechWeb. Intelligent Enterprise
    TechWeb
    url
    url
    21st. Oct 10.00 am Databases I have created my Social Networking Community called 'The Database Answers Community' on Ning to include all the people who have made contributions by PayPal.
    Visit The Database Answers Community
    Database Answers Community
    Friends of Hobo DDBA
    url
    url
    21st. Oct 9.35 am Chocolate We visited William Curley's Chocolate Shop in John Lewis's new and excellent Food Hall in London, England.
    William has been awarded the Best British Chocolatier accolade for 2007 by the Academy of Chocolate.
    William Curley url
    20th. Oct 2.30 pm MyWife We called in a L'Occitane, an upmarket shop from Provence in the South of France. My wife was able to find something to buy (it wasn't easy !!!). L'Occitane url
    20th. Oct 1.30 pm Holidays Finland looks good - husky dogs and lots of snow. Visit Finland url
    18th. Oct 10.30 pm MyLife Trip Advisor has a globe where I can put a pin for every city I have visited around the world. My Travels on TripAdvisor url
    15th. Oct 8.00 pm MyLife My interest is :-"More pervasive use of Databases in our daily lives".
    My Strategy is Get smart, then Get Rich"
    Define a "Data Validation Layer",(Ballmer likes Software On Demand).
    MyLife
    MyLifeBits
    url
    url
    15th. Oct 7.30 pm Publishing Publish your own Book, (but make sure you get an ISBN) AthenaPress url
    13th. Oct 10.30 pm MyWork e-Government in Ipoh Contacts -
    1) Leong Kin Mun, Techn ical Advisor, EIVC
    2) Mohd Noording Ahmad Razali, ICT Business Coordinator.
    EU-Ipoh Virtual City
    Ling Kin Mun
    Mohd Noordin Ahmad Razali
    url
    url
    url
    13th. Oct 10.30 pm Insurance Insurance with No Upper Age Limit !!! InTuneGroup url
    13th. Oct 10.00 pm Water Leaks Here are two Photos of Water Leaks from Apartment Number 2. Water Leak in En Suite
    Water leak in Study
    jpg
    jpg
    11th. Oct 10.00 pm MyLife Microsoft has added an online party-invitation service called Events to its suite of Windows Live Web services. It links to FaceBook, Live Search for driving instructions and the Spaces social network site for blogging. Evite
    Facebook
    Live Search
    Live Spaces
    url
    url
    url
    url
    11th. Oct 9.30 pm Mobile Working The 11th (!!!) International Symposium on Wearable Computers has just finished in Boston, Mass., featuring the work of the Wearable Smart Assistance project in Zurich, Switzerland. ISWC
    Wearable Computing Lab
    url
    url
    11th. Oct 9.00 pm Databases I had to do Date Arithmetic in Access to generate time series data at weekly intervals in Access and after checking www.dbforums.com and www.utteraccess.com I found the answer to adding 7 days to the Schedule_Date was -
    DateAdd("d",7,[Schedule_Date])
    DB Forums
    Utter Access
    url
    url
    10th. Oct 10.30 pm Web 2.0 Typical Web 2.0 Tools used in a Development environment include Blogs, Chat Rooms,(Skype and Yahoo), Flick'R, eLearning Tools for Schools, Google Maps, Information Webs Sites, Picasa (Google's answer to Flick'R), and Wikis. This selection relate to Projects in Africa. Blog - Celac
    Blog - Hope Childrens Club
    Google Maps
    Info Web Site (Brosdi)
    Info Web Site (Celac)
    Picasa
    Wiki - BROSDI (Private)
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    10th. Oct 7.30 am Vacation Tsarabanjina has a very attractive Web Site for a beautiful holiday destination in Madagascar, where most of the world's vanilla comes from.
    Here's a reminder to Order Cat Calendar for 2008.
    Tsarabanjina url
    9th. Oct 11.30 pm Development Web 2.0 for Development is quite a lively area right now. Telecentre is a collaborative social investment program.
    dgCommunities reports on a Conference in Rome, Italy addressing "What can the collaborative, multi-user and participatory web contribute to development ?"
    dgCommunities states :-
    Web 2.0 is a term used in recent years to describe web-based systems that enable users to share content (text, photos, video etc), communicate and work together on common areas of interest.
    A quite fuzzy concept, it was applied during the conference to a range of more and less interactive information systems, including more traditional e-mail enabled discussion lists and “community” portals, as well as more accepted 2.0 applications such as blogs and wikis, feed aggregators and “mash-ups”.
    dgCommunities
    Telecentre
    url
    url
    9th. Oct 7.30 pm CSR I found an interesting item in the newspaper about 'Social Enterprises', which are defined as "Not-for-Profit companies that achieve public good and whose surpluses are ploughed back into the business or the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profits". BlueVentures
    TipThePlanet
    url
    url
    8th. Oct 1.00 am Databases Finally I posted my Tutorial on YouTube, after cutting it down from 15 to 10 minutes. YouTube Video url
    7th. Oct 12 noon Design I went to a bookstore yesterday and found myself admiring some of the well-designed Book covers. When I woke up this morning I decided to put together a page of the most attractive ones. Book Covers url
    6th. Oct 12 noon Databases I published my Tutorial on "Understanding a Database Schema" on YouTube.
    But it is too long at 15 minutes so I'll have to cut it down to 10 minutes.
     
    6th. Oct 11.30 am Orang Asli My interest in Native Peoples (Orang Asli in Malaysia) was reawakened by an item on DG Gateway about Australian Aborigines using Web 2.0 to preserve their heritage. This includes Google Earth to record cultural and sacred places, and digitising tapes of songs, and videos".
    To date, and along with digital video and community web sites, the Ngalia community in Australia has embraced technologies such as You Tube, Skype, My Space, blogs, Google and Wikipedia.
    Plans are in place to develop a participatory GIS system also.
    There is also a Web Site called 'Web 2.0 for Participatory Development" (Web2forDev), which held a Conference recently. The Conference is discussed in a Blog Presentation on Web 2.0 for Australian Aboriginal Case Study is available for download. .
    Aborigines & Web 2.0
    Google Earth
    Web2fordev
    Web2fordev Blog
    Web2fordev Presentation
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    6th. Oct 11.00 am MyLife We like Cirque du Soleil so we decided to go to the Cirque Surreal (from producers of the Chinese State Circus), at Windsor Racecourse, from October 19th. to 28th, (phone 0871 224 0033). Cirque du Soleil
    Cirque Surreal
    url
    url
    6th. Oct 8.00 am Maps From the Woodland Trust Web Site, I came across an alternative to using Ordnance Survey maps, using Drawlive. MapWeaver.com and Streetmap.
    StreetMap looks very promising at £500/year.
    Their Online Trial, and mentions Reporting Systems for Local Authorities.
    Drawlive
    Google Regatta House
    NavTeq
    NavTeq for Longfield Avenue
    StreetMap
    StreetMap Free Offer
    StreetMap Online Trial
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    6th. Oct 6.00 am MyLife I woke up early and got up at 6.00 am to start my birthday celebrations.
    My wife gave me Acqua di Parma soap and aftershave from Harrods.
    I tried adding these entries to my Blog, instead of this diary, but the Blog doesn't give me what I want because I can't link to my Digital Assests.
    Acqua di Parma
    Barry's Blog
    url
    url
    url
    5th. Oct 8.30 am MyLife I found a place called Bear's Wood in Crawley Down, and also Corner Copse in Ifold,so I resolved to sign up with the Woodland Trust charity (UK) as part of my birthday celebrations. Bears Wood
    Corner Copse, Ifold
    Corner Copse, Ifold Map
    Williams' Wood, Horsham Map
    Woodland Trust
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    5th. Oct 8.30 am MyLife Today's Motto is 'Be cool and always do your best'.    
    5th. Oct 8.00 am Holidays Maybe we'll go to Lapland at Christmas because my wife likes Husky dogs. Lapland url
    5th. Oct 7.30 am MyWife My wife found an ad for an interesting job, open to citizens of UK Commonwealth countries, for Asylum Case Owners with the Border & Immigration Agency of the Home Office,(closing date October 19th.)
    I also found another interesting job with MI5 for British Citizens who understand Arabic
    Home Office Case Owner Job
    MI5 Languages Job
    MI5 Languages Job (in Arabic)
    url
    url
    url
    2nd. Oct 11.00 pm Databases I started my own Social Networking Community called 'Friends of Hobo DDBA' on Ning to see how it compares to my expectations. 'Friends of Hobo DDBA'
    Ning
    url
    url
    2nd. Oct 11.00 pm Databases Here's a magazine called SQL Server that look good. SQL Server Magaziner url
    1st. Oct 8.30 am MyWife My wife is very pleased with the Cat Calendar I gave her at Christmas. Today's cat came complete with a reminder to order the 2008 Calendar today !! Cat Calendar
    PageaDay Calendars
    url
    url
             
    28th April 2.00 pm MyLife We planned our boat trip on the Lake Lugarno in Switzerland with a map. Lake Lugarno Map jpg
    29th April 10.00 am MyLife Then we bought Tickets for the boat trip on the Lake Boat Trip Tickets jpg
    29th April 10.30 am MyLife Norlia's Crazy Video at the start of the Boat trip. You can find this Video on YouTube 20-second Video Nr.1 mov
    29th April 11.00 am MyLife We heard the sound of Church Bells during the Boat trip 20-second Video Nr.2 mov
    29th April 11.30 am MyLife Norlia enjoyed the boat trip Photo of Norlia jpg
    29th April 4.00 pm MyLife Norlia's Crazy Video at the end of the Boat trip. You can find this Video on YouTube 20-second Video Nr.3 mov
    29th April 5.00 pm MyLife Finally, we return to our Suite in the Parco Paradiso Hotel View from our Suite jpg
    29th April 6.00 pm MyLife I relax reading one of my favourite Thriller writers, Robert Parker. I smile because the setting of his book is a town called Paradise in Massachussets, and we are staying in a town called Paradiso in Switzerland. Book Cover jpg
    29th April 10.00 pm MyLife After a good dinner, I check my Gym Membership card and resolve to lose weight and get fit when I get back to England. Gym Card jpg
    2nd May 1.00 pm MyWife We took a trip to Como, where my wife bought a very elegant jacket from Frey to be delivered on May 20th.. Frey Web Site url
    6th May 3.00 pm MyLife We returned to England and Norlia was happy to be back and see Rubble, her Kitten Norlia at Home
    View from Home
    Rubble
    jpg
    jog
    jpg
    12th May 1.00 pm MyLife We had lunch in an up-market Sandwich place called Pret-a-Manger. Lunch Receipt jpg
    12th May 6.30 pm MyLife When we got back home, I went to the Gym. Gym Card jpg
    22nd May 10.00 am MyWife My wife's jacket has not arrived on 20th. from Frey, so she went to the Frey Web Site, found the phone number and called them. Frey Web Site url
    24th May 1.30 pm MyLife I passed by the Record Store and saw a Greatest Hits 3 CD set of Gladys Knight, Kool and Gang, and Joe Tex for $5/£3, so naturally I had to buy it. Box Set jpg
    24th May 6.30 pm MyWife My wife saw a couple of interesting requirements for volunteers - one to work with Databases and one for Foreign-language Speakers.
    She speaks English, French and Arabic, as well as her native Malay, so she thought she would be able to help.
    DB Volunteer
    Foreign-language Speakers
    jpg
    jpg
    25th May 10.00 am MyWife My wife's jacket arrived on 20th. from Frey, so she was very happy - and looked very elegant. Norlia's Jacket jpg
    25th May 7.00 pm MyLife We go into central London to celebrate and find three Japanese Restaurants within a one minute walk of each other.
    We choose one we are not familiar with called Kai and have a great time.
    It was an impressive complex with a shop and Japanese social centre.
    I was able to practice the Japanese I learned just before I met my wife in Fiji.
    Receipt from Kai
    Kai Web Site
    jpg
    url
    26th May 7.00 am MyWife My wife got up early to burn off some calories with her Hula Hoop. Hula Hoop Photo jpg
    20th June 9.00 am MyLife I received a cheque from Google for about $500, representing my earnings for having Google Ads on my DatabaseAnswers Data Models page for 3 months. I guess I can't give up my day job just yet ! Google Cheque
    DatabaseAnswers Page
    jpg
    url
    21st June 9.00 pm MyLife I found a Web Site worth checking out that will recommend Books you might like, based on what you say are your favorites. WhichBook.net url
    21st June 9.00 pm MyLife Vodafone (UK) has an interesting marketing campaign showing on their Web Site how cell/mobile phones can be used for a wide variety of social applications. Their design anticipates my Grand Award. Vodafone Mobile Internet Ad url
    21st June 9.00 pm MyWork Latest Scripts are in Verbatim_USB/LBE/Sent_to_iB_june25th.    
    27th June 5.00 pm MyLife My wife came back from her first visit to a new Hairdresser in Marylebone, London. Photo of Hairstyle jpg
    30th June 6.00 am Data Mgt Woke up at 6.00 am (it's Saturday !!!) with my mind buzzing.Resolved to spend some time on my Hands-on Master Class in Master Data Management and Customer Data Integration, perhaps with reference to Kimball's Book on 'The Microsoft Data Warehouse Toolkit'. I should combine it with a DIY ETL Toolkit, tailored specifically to MDM and CDI, and featuring an Internet-based Data Dictionary.    
    30th June 7.00 am Data Mgt Renewed my acquaintance with the Intelligent Enterprise Web Site and realised what a great resouce it is.    
    30th June 7.30 am   Came across a reference to Panel Software which looks like a vendor's pitch, but it's interesting nonetheless. Vision Critical Web Site url
    30th June 8.00 am MyLife I came across an article on the Intelligent Enterprise Site saying that 83% of people in a recent survey wanted 'a single interface to all information in the enterprise'. It's a great title but the article was a disappointment which talked about the combination of BI and Enterprise Search as though it was something new. Single Interface url
    30th June 8.00 pm MyWork I saw an interesting advertisement about 'a Common Gateway' to any Local Authority in the UK.    
    31st June 10.00 am Data Mgt I monitor the DB Forums Group on Database Concepts and Design and found useful discussions on Reference Data and using ODBC to link from Access to SQL Server. Access to SQL Server
    Reference Data
    url
    1st July 10.00 am Street Mgt Here's my current thinking about showing Street Cleaning Services might be shown in a diagram. I also have a version with a Mouseover effect to show an Inspector checking a Street. Mouseover url
    1st July 8.00 pm Wine I decided that my Strategy for buying Wine would be based on unusual or amusing names on the bottle !
    One 'wine expert' said, in an arrogant voice - 'Of course, you will get variable results with that approach, sir', so I said, 'And that's half the fun !', to which there was no reply.
    The first two were called Barefoot Zinfandel, from Modesto,California, and Joy, from France.
    So far, my strategy is a great success because the first wine I sampled (Joy) turned out to be exactly to my taste.
    Barefoot Vineyard
    Joy Vineyard
    Wine bottles
    url
    url
    jpg
    3rd July 7.00 pm   My current Product Key is JRCKY4M7FXT4YQX2QGDHJ379H    
    4th July 7.00 pm   Some cheap flights were reported from Airlines I'd never heard of. AffordableFlights.co.uk
    Air Bookers
    BMI Baby
    Dial-A-Flight Opodo
    url
    url
    url
    url
    4th July 9.00 pm MyLife The British press reported that "... billions of gigabytes of Government data will be preserved for posterity thanks to a deal between Microsoft and the UK National Archives. The partnership involves Microsoft donating new software (Virtual PC 2007), allowing historians to read old electronic documents,regardless of the software package they were created in". National Archives (UK)
    Virtual PC Site
    Virtual PC Download
    url
    url
    url
    7th July 10.00 am Data Mgt Microsoft showed an interest in MDM by acquiring a small player. called Stratature. VNU Report
    Stratature
    url
    url
    7th July 11.00 am MyLife Microsoft announces a Unified Communications Road Map, which ties in well with My Life Project. Microsoft Page
    My Life Project
    url
    url
    7th July 1.00 pm Wine I continued my Strategy of buying Wine with unusual or amusing names.
    The next three were Bloody Good Red, from the Bonny Doon Winery in Modesto,California, Oracle, from South Africa, and Procrastinator, from Chalk Hill Wines in Australia.
    Bloody Good Red
    Oracle
    Procrastinator
    wine bottles
    url
    url
    url
    jpg
    8th July 8.00 am 2DoList Today it's Sunday but I seem to have more things to do than I have to do from Monday to Friday. These include
  • Draft Views for User-Friendly Report Facility,('Mix and Match')
  • Emailing JD Cook about MyLife and MyWork.
  • Emailing Gordon, Jim and Mark.
  • Ask Salesforce.com if they are agnostic about Microsoft.
  • Checking out SalesForce.com and Google with my Customer Data Management Strategy.
  • Check with HostMySite for my VSP and protection about financial responsibility for hackers
  • Check with HostMySite why my Data Model Search facility doesn't work.
  • Read Eric Sink in 'The Business of Software' on becoming a micro-ISV.
  • Google for Data Dictionaries to see what is in demand and link to MyLife and MyWork.
  • HostMySite
    SalesForce
    url
    url
    8th July 8.30 am   I came across a very well-designed Web Site for the Countryside Council for Wales.
    For American visitors, maybe I should explain that Wales is a country which is part of the UK, but has a very proud tradition and independent history.
    Countryside Council for Wales url
    8th July 8.00 pm Wine Today's Wine buying included Firebird, from Moldova, (a country in Eastern Europe with a population of 3.5 million) and Naked Grape, from Dr.Loosen in Germany,
    I passed up a wine called Gladiator, because the name didn't make me smile.
    Firebird
    Naked Grape
    wine bottles
    url
    url
    url
    10th July 7.00 pm MyLife Current Rectification Reports and Scripts are on the Toshiba USB in the Folder called "F:\lbe\Rectification_Reports_June25th\July08th. I am currently working on presenting correct latest I and R values in by replacing inspected_date with scheduled_cleaning_date in Report1DDL.sql. Rect Rpt Files url
    14th July 7.00 pm MyLife Sony sells a GPS-CS1 'Dongle' ($150/£100) that records the date,time and location for every photograph you take on a Sony Camera. You can synchronise with your PC and you can see your movements and photos displayed on a Map. GPS-CS1 Image Tracker url
    14th July 8.00 pm MyLife In France, a 'Kiditel' service is announced that uses GPS to track the movements of a child continuously. Kiditel on InstaBlog url
    14th July 8.00 pm MyLife Mobile Phone Trackings Services are available in the UK. Mobile Phone Tracking url
    15th July 10.30 am MyWork SQL Scripts for a Consolidated View of all Data Categories is on the Toshiba USB in F:\eel\Rectification_Reports_June25th\ConsolidatedViews\ in a file called cre_consolidatedviewsDDL_july14th_2100hrs.doc
    Export Schedule data is on c:/eel/databases/exp_from_xxx_to ixxx_on_july15th_csv.
       
    16th July 7.00 pm Wine Today's Wine buying included Dancing Bull from California and Lazy Lizard, a Chardonnay from France, Dancing Bull
    Lazy Lizard
    Wine Bottle
    url
    url
    url
    20th July 11.00 pm MyLife Microsoft is working on a Coffee Table PC with a touch-sensitive top called Surface which is relevant to my MyLife Project.
    One interesting Scenario would be to use your Universal PDA strung around your name all day and then come home to complete the process on your Surface coffee table.
    Surface url
    21st July 5.00 pm MyLife My wife and I had an outing to a Fashion Design Center which offers a wide range of up-market Designer labels in one location. She bought a pair of brown suede shoes from L.K.Bennett. We took a break from Shopping in "O'Briens Irish Sandwich Bar. I was eating Chips/Crisps and was amused to read on the back of the packet that "these are made in Wales" and "O'Briens is proud to be the Premier Worlwide Sponsors of an internatiional Charity that provides love and gives back dignity to children in Mongolia and Vietnam". Christina Noble Charity
    Fashion Design Center
    L.K.Bennett Shoes
    O'Briens Sandwich Bar
    url
    url
    url
    url
    21st July 11.30 pm MyWork I was told about a Grid Control for ASP that looks good from a company called Telerik. Maybe I'll buy it. Telerik
    Grid Control
    url
    url
    22nd July 10.30 am Databases I started thinking about Data Models for Quantity Surveyors, and found that searching the Chartered Surveyors Site for Databases produced some interesting results. Quantity Surveyors
    RCIS.org
    Grid Control
    url
    url
    22nd July 12.30 pm MyLife I went to the Gym while my wife used her Hula Hoop outside our house by the flooded River Thames. Gym Card
    Hula Hoop
    jpg
    jpg
    22nd July 1.30 pm MyLife We drove into central London with the idea of picking up lunch at Villandry's, our favourite deli, and eating it in Regents Park. We agreed to see 'Lady be Good' in Aug at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, which is something that we like to do every year. The productions are always a little lame, but the open-air setting is magical when the sun goes dark. Open Air Theatre
    Villandry
    url
    jpg
    22nd July 4.00 pm MyLife At my wife's suggestion, we went to buy me a Brooks Brothers shirt.
    I guess I got brain-washed during my time at IBM because I always buy good-quality, white, cotton, button-down shirts.
    Brooks Brothers
    IBM
    jpg
    url
    22nd July 11.00 pm Databases I need to call Mark Jewett on his mobile number 206.660.3644.    
    23rd July 10.00 pm MyLife My wife and I are planning where to go for the 20th. Anniversary of our first meeting.
    There's an item in today's Sunday Times about the Hotel Welcome in Villefranche-sur-Mer, four miles east of Nice in the South of France.
    First thing I'll do is to check it out on TripAdvisor.
    I liked the idea of the Grand Hotel in Cap Ferrat but seems it's full when we want to go - even with the cheapest room costing about $1000 ! The only hotel with availability when we want to go was the Best Western which got lousy reviews from lots of people so that's the end of that !
    Grand Hotel,Cap Ferrat
    Hotel Welcome
    Trip Advisor
    url
    url
    url
    23rd July 11.30 pm MyWork I found a reference to Karen Kenworthy's program to Print Directories. Directory Printer url
    26th July 11.00 am Databases I starting working with the US Navy to design a Database to help with Equipment Maintenance.
    An interesting challenges was to determine which data we can use which is not classified. One of them was the Navy Standard (not an officla Navy Web Site, showing images in the public domain).
    Navy Insignias
    Officer Ranks
    url
    url
    28th July 11.30 am MyLife I was checking out Welsh Web Sites (I was born in Wales) and came across an interesting service called Cluster Maps that displays the locations of visitors to a web site on a map of the world.
    I added it to the Data Models page on my DatabaseAnswers Web Site and the next day I saw the countries where my daily 500 Visitors were located.
    ClustrMaps Demo
    Map of my Visitors
    url
    url
    29th July 11.00 am Databases I saw an interesting article on Mapping Data on MyWay (one of my email providers).
    This is a serious problem in the UK, where the Government charges a fortune for the use of Mapping Data,which has already been paid for by the taxpayer.
    This is a part of a major Guardian newspaper campaign called 'Free our Data'.
    I am looking at Google Maps as a suitable alternative.
    FreeOurData Blog
    Google Maps
    Google Maps (UK)
    MyWay Article
    url
    url
    url
    url
    29th July 8.00 pm MyLife There was an article in today's UK Sunday Times newspaper about Child-tracking Systems.
    It liked three - FollowGB, SimpleSimon and Best Buddy, and disliked two - Trace a Mobile and ChildLocate
    Findware
    Follow GB
    url
    url
    29th July 8.30 pm MyLife In the July, 2007 issue of Wired Magazine, there's a couple of articles about mapping and the explosive growth in mash-ups. It mentions Google's MyMaps, Microsoft's LiveSearchMaps and Yahoo's Flickr (which allows you to geo-tag photos). , Flickr
    Google MyMaps
    url
    url
    31st July 10.30 pm MyWork The lastest Filename to change Total Instructions in Report 1 is C:/eel/Rectification_Reports_June25th/GetReport1Data_SP_july31st_2200pm.txt.
    It's also in the same Directories on the Toshiba USB and the Verbatim USB.
       
    31st July 6.30 pm MyLife I passed by the Richmond Tennis Club, which my wife might like to join. Tennis Club url
    6th Aug 10.30 pm MyWork A recent announcement about Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services makes it sound like I need Service Pack 2 installed because SP1 removed the 'select all' option which would allow a user to use a tick box to select all wards or grades (further details are in the URL). I need this for my current client. Rptng Svcs url
    10th Aug 10.30 am MyLife I saw a Masters-level course on eLearning at the UK Open University, available by Distance Learning anywhere in the world. Open U (UK) url
    11th Aug 7.30 am MyLife I have to spend time on my interest in 'DBoD' - Databases On Demand - Software As a service ("SaaS") CRM On-Demand, starting with CRMFusion, which is linked to SalesForce and Oracle. CRMFusion
    Oracle
    SalesForce
    url
    url
    url
    11th Aug 8.30 am MyLife Here's an interesting Web Site called "Schome", (School at Home"), which uses the Second Life Site to provide a 'Learning Environment for Professionals', targetted at young people. Schome url
    11th Aug 7.30 am MyLife Current priorities are Seth (send Aerobics Programs), DCA for NatWest, Smartphone Data Model for Jim G. at MS, Adan (Add Qualifications tables), Stuart (Fleet.xls), UFRF (Specs), Mark at MS.    
    11th Aug 12 noon MyLife I came across photos of my son Meredith when he was a teenager and then later when he graduated with a BA in Information and Library Science from Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK. Teenage Meredith
    Graduate Meredith
    jpg
    jpg
    12th Aug 1.30 pm MyLife I have a little AirPlant sitting quietly on the shelf.
    Suddenly my wife noticed it is flowering - which is remarkable considering that we never water it because when we bought it we were told it will live on fresh air !
    AirPlant jpg
    13th Aug 9.00 pm Databases I came across an interesting comparison of features in Database Journal for Oracle, MySQL and PostGreSQL DB Comparisons url
    13th Aug 9.30 pm Databases Here's a thoughtful discussion on RegDeveloper of alternative Evolutionary versus Traditional Database Design and Evolutionary Design. Alternatives
    Evolutionary
    url
    url
    13th Aug 10.00 pm Databases Finally, a review of EnterpriseDB and their strategy for Web 2.0. EnterpriseDB url
    15th Aug 8.30 am MyWork 2DoList -
    1. Contract, 2. Wkly Stats built on my Consolidated SQL, 3. Email Mark at MS, 4. Complete DCA.
       
    15th Aug 9.00 am MyWork Reports Directory Structure -
    C:/Tosh/VerbUSB/Eel/Rect_Rpts/Rpt 1,2,3/v01_Date_Live,v02,v03, etc..
    Status summary :-
    Report 1 - Monthly Cleaning Summary by Ward - builds on my Consolidated SQL
    Report 2 - Monthly/Weekly Cleaning Site Record
    Report 3 - Monthly Zone Performance Report
       
    15th Aug 9.30 am MyLife The Telegraph newspaper reported a terrible incident in the UK yesterday. A 47-year-old husband and father of 3 went out to talk to a bunch of teenagers who were vandalising his car outside his house. They kicked him to death. Every week the UK gets worse and nobody says 'This has gone far enough'. Now (finally) the Government is blaming it on the parents. The police are too busy chasing terrorists and doing paperwork. Telegraph Article url
    15th Aug 7.00 pm Wine Today's Wine buying included Zonte's Footstep, a white Viognier from Australia,
    The name didn't actually make me smile but I am having trouble finding more wine with really funny names.
    I passed on 'Gladiator' from California but maybe I will have to reconsider. I will try to get to a grand total of 10 Wines before I stop. I think right now, I've got to 7, and Joy from France is the only one I liked, or could even finish.
    Zonte's Footstep
    Wine Bottle
    url
    jpg
    15th Aug 8.30 pm Wine So far, I have stopped at 10 different Wines with amusing or unusual names of varying quality :-
    1. Joy from France (Great)
    2. Barefoot (Undrinkable)
    3. Dancing Bull (Undrinkable)
    4. Firebird (Undrinkable)
    5. Lazy Lizard (Undrinkable)
    6. Naked Grape (OK)
    7. Zonte's Footstep (OK)

    Waiting to be sampled :-
    8. Bloody Good Red
    9. Oracle
    10. Procrastinator
    Barefoot (USA)
    Bloody Good Red (USA)
    Dancing Bull (USA)
    Firebird (Moldovia)
    Joy (France)
    Lazy Lizard (France)
    Naked Grape (Germany)
    Oracle (South Africa)
    Procrastinator (Australia)
    Zonte's Footstep (Australia)
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    16th Aug 9.00 pm Music It was reported that Luther Ingram, singer of the classic "If loving you is wrong (I don't want to be right)", died this week on Monday,Aug 13th. 2007. If loving you is wrong
    Luther's Page
    mp3
    url
    21st Aug 9.00 pm Judo I bought a book called 'Mastering Judo' by the Takahashi family.
    They are based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada where I lived for 6 years back in the 70's. It's a great book based on an excellent idea, and very well executed. It covers a wide range of topics, from nutrition to advanced contest preparation.
    It draws on the 200+ years experience of all 6 family members.
    Book cover
    Buy the Book on Amazon
    Takahashi Web Site
    jpg
    url
    url
    22nd Aug 8.00 am Music The Independent newspaper in England mentions a web site called Filter that that recommends music based on an analysis of your music library. It's worth checking out because it also offers about 20 music categories plus a list of Radio Station Web Sites. This one is supported by a $5M cash injection from Peter ('Sledgehammer') Gabriel. Filter
    Peter Gabriel
    url
    url
    22nd Aug 8.00 am Databases As part of my collaboration with Microsoft, I checked out the MSDN TV broadcast on Data-Aware Windows Mobile Applications. I was curious to see how the theory compares to my practice in building and deploying Smartphone-based Applications for Business Intelligence. Intro Part 1
    Intro Part 2
    Mobile Svr Tools
    url
    url
    url
    25th Aug 11.00 am Music Isn't the Internet wonderful ! - Pandora (my daily companion) introduced me to Taana Gardner, a singer from the 80's. Then Wikipedia pointed me to MySpace and then I was able to download a great track called 'HeartBeat' free of charge (from MySpace). Heartbeat (5Mb !)
    MySpace
    Pandora
    Wikipedia
    mp3
    url
    url
    url
    25th Aug 12.30 pm Music In the afternoon, we went to Thailand, or rather Thailand came to us (in Milford, Surrey outside London) in the shape of the "Amazing Thailand Festival".
    Here's a Google Map showing the location. in aid of the Mudita Trust Charity and in association with the Royal Thai Embassy.

    I posted a Video on YouTube, and a photo of Norlia smiling with the ducks on
    Dancing Shaggy Dog (YouTube)
    Mudita Trust
    Norlia with Ducks
    Photo of Norlia on Flickr
    Festival Ticket
    url
    url
    jpg
    jpg
    jpg
    26th Aug 10.00 pm Wine At yesterday's Thailand, Festival, I decided to give up buying wine with funny names because (with one exception) I really didn't like the taste of them.
    This decision came when I saw a bottle with 'Smiling Fish' on the label.
    Smiling Fish Logo
    Smiling Fish, Thailand
    jpg
    url
    27th Aug 11.30 am Databases I came across an interesting contribution in the .net magazine by Ian Moulster, of Microsoft (UK), about Silverlight. I emailed Ian to determine if there is common ground for collaboration. Ian Moulster url
    27th Aug 9.00 pm Wine I went to Fortnum and Masons, (the Queens Grocers in London) and came across a quality sweet white wine called "The Noble One" from the De Bortoli Vineyard in Australia.
    So I decided to postpone not buying wine with funny names.
    de Bortoli Vineyard
    Noble One Bottle
    url
    jpg
    29th Augut 8.00 Am General In the Times newspaper, I came across a reference to the "Transparencey Intenernational Index" which sounds like a measure of the amount of corruptiontion in any country in the world. It states that Sierra Leone is as corrupt as Nigeria. Transparencey Index url
    29th Aug 8.10 am MyLifeBits Also in the Times, there was a mention of the "Digitisation of Vital Events" (Dove), which is a UK govenmenrt programme covering events such as Births, Deaths and Marriages. However, the UK Society of Genealogists report their concern about the management and timing of this major undertaking. Dove url
    31st Aug 8.00 pm MyLife I must remember to find MapEdit, a great Hotspot Image Editor I used years ago, and also explore Shareit as a way to 'monetarize' my Web Site.
    I easily find MapEdit thru Tucows, and ShareIt. described as the "Your Global Partner for Selling Shareware" (sounds promising !).
    MapEdit
    ShareIt
    Tucows
    url
    url
    31st Aug 8.00 pm MyLife I gave some thought to my SMPL Data Architecture, and Traffic Lights Demo. SMPL Data Architecture
    Traffic Lights
    url
    url
    4th Sept 10.30 pm Oslo This entry contains embedded images to see whether it's more 'User-Friendly'.
    Last weekend my wife and I went to Oslo in Norway to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of when we met in Fiji.
    We posted a short Video on for Norlia's family in Malaysia. After we came back,my wife checked Wikipedia and told me we had chosen to visit the most expensive place in the world.
    On our first evening we chose a restaurant that looked OK called Cafe Sorgenfri which turned out to be the most expensive in Oslo (and that's saying something !). Of course, the food was excellent, although the portions were rather small.
    Beer was $20 or £12 a pint so I was teetotal for 3 days !
    Cafe Sorgenfri, Oslo
    YouTube
    jpg
    url
    7th Sept 11.00 pm MyLife A professional Voguer 'Dancing Legend' called Benny Ninja is visiting London from New York. MySpace
    YouTube
    jpg
    url
    7th Sept midnight Databases I came across an interesting company called Stratature (recently acquired by Microsoft) that specialises in Master Data Management. Stratature url
    8th Sept 1.30 am Databases Instead of going to bed I find myself browsing YouTube looking at Database Design Tutorials in preparation for producucing my own, and found one in Arabic. DB Design (Arabic) url
    8th Sept 9.30 am MyLife Yahoo - Bobby C and hobo_dba. Yahoo url
    8th Sept 10.00 am MyBlogs I am sure I have at least one Blog somewhere - maybe this is it on www.blogger.com. Barry's Blog url
    9th Sept 11.30 pm Research I received an email from Jean-Marie Favre, from the University of Grenoble in France. I met Jean-Marie a year ago to learn about his Research Project in sharing MetaData Models. Planet MDE(Zoo) url
    15th Sept 11.30 am MyLifeBits HP announces an update to their iPAQ to make it more competitive with Apple's new iPhone. Apple iPhone
    HP iPAQ
    url
    url
    15th Sept 12.30 pm Hotels I am always on the lokout for Hotel recommendations. Here are two recommended in an interview with Pam Ayres (a British comedienne) in today's Telegraph newspaper.
    They might be very useful in the next twelve months. Firstly, the Llangoed Hall Hotel near Hay-on_Wye in the UK, and then the Quay Grand Hotel, Macquarie, Sydney in Australia.
    Llangoed Hall
    Llangoed Hall(TripAdvisor)
    Quay Grand Hotel
    Quay Grand(TripAdvisor)
    url
    url
    url
    url
    15th Sept 3.00 pm MyWork From GotReportViewer (http://www.gotreportviewer.com/) 1. Q: Why doesn't the ReportViewer control support parameter prompting in local mode? A: The ReportViewer control does not prompt for parameters when in local mode. It prompts for parameters when it is connected to a Report Server. In local mode it does not make sense for ReportViewer to prompt for parameters. The rationale is as follows: The most common use of report parameters is to pass to queries as values of query parameters. But unlike the Report Server, the ReportViewer control does not execute queries itself. Rather, queries are executed by the host application, and the result is passed to the ReportViewer control. So the ReportViewer control does not have the opportunity to set query parameters. Applications should take advantage of the parameterization features of Visual Studio data wizards instead.

    Here’s my Question :-
    “I have developed Reports using Reporting Services and I want to deploy them for access over the Internet.
    These Reports allow the Users to specify parameters, such as Start and End Dates.
    I am told that a User Interface has to be developed manually to provide this facility for some kind of security reason.
    This seems very bizarre and the reason doesn’t make much sense.
    Is this really true ?
    Thanks very much”
    Linked Reports seem relevant, along with Eugene Bykov's Blog.
    Eugene's Blog
    Eugene's Blog Search
    Linked Reports
    MSDN on ReportViewer
    Rptng Svcs Forum
    Thread for my Question
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    15th Sept 3.30 pm MyWife It's a beautiful, warm, sunny afternoon. My wife,Norlia, fell asleep lying in the window of our living-room overlooking the river.
    I noticed how clean and clear the River Thames is where we live.
    River Thames
    Sleeping Wife(Norlia)
    Norlia in the Window
    jpg
    jpg
    jpg
    16th Sept 3.30 pm Hotels The Sunday Times (UK) newspaper Travel section reviews a book of interesting Secret (Budget) Hotels. When I check out the Sumday Times web site, there's a link to our new favourite travel destination, which is the Norwegian Fjords Norwegian Fjords
    Secret Hotels Book
    url
    url
    17th Sept 8.00 am MyLifeBits Yesterday's Telegraph newspaper contained an interesting article about a 'Brat Nav' PDA called Buddi PDA TrackerBuddi which can be used by parents to track their movements of their children continuously.
    It uses GPS and a map on the Buddi Web Site shows where their children are at all times.
    Buddi Web Site
    Tech Web Site
    Telegraph article
    url
    url
    url
    18th Sept 8.00 pm MyLifeBits I have been giving some thought to alternative ways of publishing this Diary. The current issue of .net magazine has an interesting article on FormatPixel which may be a contender. FormatPixel
    .net Magazine
    url
    url
    18th Sept 8.30 pm Wine I saw a wine called Dragon Fly from Australia, so I decied to buy it even though I already gave up. It's red and I haven't tried it yet, so it's just another one on the list of those that I have not yet explored. Dragon Fly Wine
    Willow Bridge Winery
    url
    url
    19th Sept 8.00 pm MyWife I saw an item in the paper about sophisticated Home Perfume Dispensers, costing about £150/$300.
    One was called the Scent Surround Cube Scent Surround Cube , from Jo Malone and the other called the Chez Moi Perfume DiffuserPerfume Diffuser from a French company called "L'Artisan Chez Moi" Maybe I'll get one for my wife, whose birthday is coming up soon.
    I was very impressed by the L'Artisan Web Site because it encouraged visitor's comments - and most of them were critical of the high price !!!
    Jo Malone
    L'Artisan Chez Moi
    url
    url
    19th Sept 8.30 pm MyWife Here's an Event on Oct 26th/27th in "Appreciative Inquiry" that my wife might find interesting.
    It's put on by a consulting company called Aeneas Knowledge Transfer.
    Aeneas url
    20th Sept 8.00 am MyLife An article in USA Today discussing the Steelers and thre NFL, says
    "... only winning cures everything".
    USA Today url
    20th Sept 8.30 am MyLifeBits An article in the Telegraph (UK) newspaper discusses an interesting variation on the MyLifeBits concept, which is Intelligent Appliances.
    A research Project is under way at the University of Newcastle in England, to explore how this concept can be applied to older people so that Appliances can be smart enough to improve the safety and quality of life. This work is being sponsored by the Centre of Excellence for Life Sciences (CELS), which is cdescribed as "an oreganisation interested in commercial opportunities associated with an ageing population".
    CELS url
    20th Sept 10.00 am MyLifeBits Vodafone is giving tremendous publicity to their plans for 'Use your Cell/Mobile phone everywhere'. Today's newspaper ad is for their USB Modem. Vodafone free Samsung
    Vodafone USB Modem
    url
    url
    20th Sept 9.00 pm MyLifeBits Today's International Herald Tribune has a brief mention of mashups on cell/mobile phones, with a link for a good Web Site called 'Programmable Web'.
    Another mashup site called OpenKapow, says "The most important foundation for mashups is data integration".
    I also found a link to a Map Builder Mashup which I must apply.
    MapBuilder Mashup
    America's Most Unsafe Cities
    Open Kapow
    Open Kapow and Data Integration
    Programmable Web
    Programmable Web Mashup Tutorial
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    url
    21st Sept 8.00 am MyWork I find that providing consulting advice in the US requires a knowledge of 1099 Subcontractor regulations. Googling makes everything straightforward. 1099 Subcontractor url
    22nd Sept 7.30 am MyWife Two local Colleges offer Adult Education courses in a number of different subjects, including courses in Access, Arabic, Chinese and eBay. Richmond College
    Strodes College
    url
    url
    22nd Sept 10.30 am Databases I created a short Video for YouTube as an introduction to my Tutorial on "How to Understand a Database Schema", which I did at Microsoft's request.

    My Video
    YouTube
    mov
    url
    22nd Sept 11.00 am Databases After I put my short Video on YouTube I checked what similar material was there and was surprised to find this one on Enterprise Architecture. I also recommend searching for "Design Patterns".

    Agile EA Web Site
    Enterprise Arch Video
    mov
    url
    mov
    22nd Sept 11.30 am MyWife Noria's friend, Tam, in Vietnam, sent her a very cute birthday card with a handmade birthday card showing a Kitten playing a Flute Kitten playing a Flute Kitten jpg
    23rd Sept 5.30 pm MyWife We went to our favourite department store, which is Selfridges in Oxford Street, London, where we found a small company called 55 MAX, (on the point of moving to Harrods) which will create a handbag for you, with your favourite photographs printed on the bag. 55 MAX url
    23rd Sept 11.30 pm MyLife It's time to quit and switch off - my brain and this laptop. I just saw a TV commercial for Wales, where I was born.
    It's strange how they manage to make very familiar places look exotic and interesting !
    Visit Wales url
    24th Sept 8.30 pm Wine I wandered into a wine store called Laithwaites and asked if they had any wine with funny or amusing names.
    They offered me 'Red Sedan' from Australia and I decided that qualified because it made me smile. It's a red Oak-aged Shiraz, so it's just another one on the list of those that I have not yet explored.
    McLaren Vale Wine url
    25th Sept 8.15 am MyLife There's an interesting new offer of a flexible digital TV service called BT Vision from British Telecom in the UK. BT is also offering a business-oriented PDA service they call "Your Office Anywhere". Your Office Anywhere url
    25th Sept 8.30 am MyLife Here's a couple of items of miscellaneous interest -
    1) A Web Site called 'Really Worried' for people who are worried about their health and want to share their worries with other people. Of course, the best-known Web Site for health questions is probably WebMD.
    2) My local Water Utility company in London ("Thames Water") making their operations transparent where they are renovating water pipes that are more than 100 years old.
    Really Worried
    Thames Water Newpipes
    Web MD
    url
    url
    url
    25th Sept 4.30 pm MyWork The SP for Q.4 "What were the Grades for Street X over the past 6 weeks ?" is GetReport2Data_AdHoc_StreetGradeCount    
    26th Sept 8.30 am MyLife Here's a FREE Seminar in London, presented by an American, on how to get rich using the Internet. InternetSuccess url
    26th Sept 10.30 am MyLife We found a couple of hotels in Cap-Ferrat that we might stay in for my birthday on Octiber 6th. Both are 5-Star luxury Hotels - one is the Grand Hotel and the other is the Royal-Riviera. Grand Hotel
    Royal-Riviera
    url
    url
    26th Sept 8.00 pm Databases Someone in Cairo, Egypt asked me for a Data Model for Orkut, which turned out to be a Social Networking Site provided by Google. Orkut from Google url
    28th Sept 8.00 pm MyWork I came across a Web Site called "The Escape",with a very simple design but which was very unusual and striking. The Escape url
    29th Sept 10.00 am MLifeBits The British Library has worked with Microsoft to digitise more than 100,000 old books and use Microsoft's Live Search Books to make them accessible and searchable, and then via the Library's website. Microsoft is also working with the UK's National Archive organisation, where they employ a "Head of eArchitecture" !!! BBC Article
    British Library
    Microsoft Press Release
    url
    url
    url
    29th Sept 10.30 am MyLife Here's a band called Soul'd Up that you can hire in London to play Funk at your party and social event. They sound pretty good judging by the sample on their Web Site. Soul'd Up url
    29th Sept 11.00 am MyLife There's an Internet Cafe called Blods (phone 01492 536534) in Prestatyn, where I was born. Strangely, it doesn't have a Web Site. Prestatyn on the Web
    Virtual Prestayn
    url
    url
    29th Sept 11.15 am MyLife Here's how to Start an Internet Cafe Business from just £85 (UK). Internet Cafe in a Box url
    29th Sept 1.00 pm NFL The NFL has cancelled their association with Pontel in Zurich so now I can't get DVDs.
    They want me to watch games on my PC which is a terrible idea.
    On TV in England I can catch games on Sky Sports (but that requires me to sign up and pay !), or live on
       
    30th Sept 1.00 am MyLife I came across an interesting article in Time magazine about the GeekCorp, which is a voluntary organisation encouraging Geeks to do volunteer work in countries where there is a need. This is not related to the marvelllous GeekSquad (see above).
    It contains a Blog by Steve Porter with an insight into 'Code Clarity' saying simplicity and readability is to be preferred over compact code. In other words, if you make the code as concise as possible, readability suffers.
    GeekCorp
    Steve Porter's Blog
    url
    url
    30th Sept 11.30 pm Databases I should take some interest in the Semantic Web. SemanticReport
    Wikipedia on Web 3.0
    Zepheira Consultants
    url
    url
    url
    Today MyLifeBits Look for Flickr and YouTube links in .net magazine showing how to mashup. Flickr
    YouTube
    url
    url
     

    Home Ask a Question Careers Contact us Data Models First Timers Search Site Map